Southampton Celebrates Topping Out of New Community Hub at Outdoor Sports Centre

A major milestone has been reached in the £36 million regeneration of Southampton’s Outdoor Sports Centre, with the topping out of the new Community Hub building.

Southampton City Council and Morgan Sindall Construction marked the occasion on Thursday 22 January, celebrating the completion of the building’s main structure. The ceremony brought together representatives from both organisations to recognise progress on one of the city’s most significant community sport and wellbeing projects.

The scheme has been procured by Pagabo through The Major Works Framework and forms a central element of the wider regeneration of the 44-acre Outdoor Sports Centre site. Since construction began in June 2025, substantial progress has been made, with the Community Hub now clearly emerging as a focal point of the development.

Once complete, the Community Hub will provide a modern, inclusive facility for sporting clubs and the wider community. The building will include a welcoming lobby and main reception, lift and stair access, administration offices, and a café with social and multi-use space opening onto landscaped seating terraces and balconies.

Additional facilities will include a fitness suite, a multi-purpose room suitable for meetings, group exercise and wellbeing classes, and comprehensive changing and toilet facilities for teams, officials and visitors.

A new covered facility will also be delivered as part of the project, incorporating indoor tennis and netball courts. These will replace some existing outdoor courts and encourage year-round participation, complementing the centre’s current nine outdoor tennis courts and seven netball courts, and reinforcing its role as a regional hub for sport.

The development will introduce new tree planting and a landscaped first-floor terrace, including areas of green and brown roofing designed to enhance biodiversity and support Southampton City Council’s environmental objectives.

Work is continuing across the wider Outdoor Sports Centre site, with progress also being made on the Family Zone development, upgrades to the athletics facilities, and enhancements to the Alpine Snowsports Centre. The overall regeneration programme remains on track for completion in early 2027.

The project is being delivered with funding from the Levelling Up Fund, Southampton City Council, Sport England and the Football Foundation, revitalising a sports centre that has served the community since 1938 while creating modern, accessible facilities for future generations.

Cliff Kinch, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the South, said:
“Seeing the Community Hub structure now complete is a great development in the project – we’re one step closer to finishing this wonderful facility that will serve Southampton’s community for years to come.

“The collaboration with Southampton City Council has been exceptional throughout, and it’s been a privilege to work alongside a team so committed to delivering quality and value for local people.

“Over the coming months, we’ll see this building really come to life as the internal fit-out progresses and the other facilities across the site continue to take shape. The long-awaited transformation is well and truly underway.”

Ben Jones, Regional Director at Pagabo in the South, said:
“Pagabo would like to congratulate everyone involved in reaching this brilliant milestone. We all know how important this project is for the city, and the region, and we’re delighted to see Morgan Sindall making such good progress.”

Councillor Toqeer Kataria, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Communities at Southampton City Council, added:
“This is a really exciting milestone for the Community Hub and the wider Outdoor Sports Centre regeneration. This is a welcoming, flexible space that brings people together through sport, wellbeing and everyday community use, while also supporting our Greener Southampton City Plan goals.

“From year-round sports facilities to new tree planting and green roofing, this project shows how we can invest in places that are good for people, communities and the environment.”