Construction is expected to start in February 2023, with the new facility opening in autumn 2024.
The project is underpinned by a £20m government Levelling Up Fund grant from the first round of awards in October 2021.
The leisure centre is being built on the site of the former Houghton Regis Academy school. The two-storey building will have an eight-lane, 25-metre community swimming pool, which is more than double the size of the pool at the existing Houghton Regis Leisure Centre. There will also be a learner pool with a movable floor and a splash pool for toddlers.
Other facilities include a fitness suite, two squash courts, a spinning bikes studio and multi-use exercise studios.
David Rowsell, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Post-pandemic, leisure centres across the country have played a key role in bringing communities back together and engaging people in healthy lifestyles that will improve their overall wellbeing. The new centre will be a great example of how to deliver a state-of-the-art leisure space that not only fulfils the needs of the local council and residents, but which does so in a timely, sustainable manner.”
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