Dudley Leisure Centre

Dudley Leisure Centre was a long-standing municipal sports hub that served the town for decades. The centre dates back to the 1970s, when it was built and opened as part of the wave of multi-purpose public leisure facilities that combined swimming, fitness and indoor sport in one venue.

For more than 40 years, it became a familiar place for everyday exercise and community life: school swimming, public sessions, club sport, classes and casual gym use. By the late 2010s, however, it was increasingly seen as aging and less suited to modern expectations, while Dudley Council pursued a replacement facility in the town centre.

The Wellington Road centre reached the end of its run in January 2022. Dudley Council announced it would close to the public for good at 9.30pm on 16 January 2022. The closure was tied directly to the opening of its successor: the new Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre opened shortly afterwards, on 24 January 2022, shifting Dudley’s main public leisure provision to a modern site.

After closing, the Wellington Road building was mothballed and left empty while the council explored options for the land. In February 2025, Dudley Council said the former leisure centre site was sold for £1.7m to Halesowen-based developer Revelan, with the stated hope that it could be redeveloped for housing.

In short: opened in the 1970s, it served generations, closed in January 2022 when the new Duncan Edwards centre took over, and the site was later sold in 2025 for redevelopment.