The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has submitted plans for a major redevelopment of the St George’s Leisure Centre site in Shadwell, in a project valued at £62.5m.
The scheme will deliver a new four-storey leisure centre totalling 5,854 square metres, along with 29 council-owned homes, 10 per cent of which will be adaptable for wheelchair use. The leisure facility will include wet and dry wellbeing amenities, with plant space located in a basement.
An adjoining residential building will rise to eight storeys and is designated high-risk, with two stair cores and a full sprinkler system.
The two buildings are positioned at opposite ends of the site and will be divided by a shared service zone, including disabled parking.
Public realm upgrades are proposed to surrounding streets including Solander Gardens, St George’s Gardens and The Highway frontage.
Tower Hamlets is using a two-stage design and build procurement route. The council plans to award a contract to a single main contractor in December, covering pre-construction services such as demolition, completion of the RIBA stage 4 design, and full construction of the buildings and landscaping.
The council intends to run a demolition contract in parallel with the main contractor’s pre-construction services agreement, with findings from site investigations feeding into the final designs. The demolition phase is programmed to last four months.
The full programme is currently scheduled to begin on 29 August 2026, with final handover by 30 November 2028.
Construction of the leisure centre will take 24 months, while the residential building is expected to take 18 months.
The St George’s Leisure Centre development project aims to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating for the leisure building. It sits next to the Grade I-listed St George-in-the-East church, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, and within a sensitive parkland setting.
As part of early market engagement, contractors with a turnover above £30m are invited to submit case studies by 30 April 2025. Ten firms will be shortlisted for one-to-one meetings with council staff on 6 or 7 May. A separate engagement session for smaller firms and supply chain participants will be held later in the year.
The council said bidders should demonstrate a robust approach to involving local SME suppliers to maximise economic and social value from the investment.
Source: London Tenders Portal