Bradford Council spending £6,000 weekly to secure vacant sports centre

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 15 Nov, 18:56 · Archive

Bradford Council is spending over £6,000 a week to secure the empty Richard Dunn Sports Centre following a break-in earlier this year.

Bradford Council is spending over £6,000 a week to secure the vacant Richard Dunn Sports Centre. Following a police security audit carried out after a break-in in March, the council introduced increased on-site physical security at a cost of £6,017 per week, or over £312,000 annually. Council officers say there has been no unauthorised access to the building since the measures were introduced in April.

The Richard Dunn Sports Centre closed in 2019 after the opening of the more modern Sedbergh Sports and Leisure Centre. The building was initially earmarked for demolition, but the process was delayed by the Covid pandemic. In 2022, the centre was awarded Grade II listed status following a recommendation from Historic England, which described it as a 'bold and accomplished design for a 1970s local leisure' facility. This listing halted demolition plans.

The security costs have reignited debate over the building's future. Councillor Debbie Davies said the building was a '1970s eyesore' and called the costs a 'nonsensical drain' on taxpayers. She questioned Historic England's 2022 recommendation for listing, though the decision to grant listed status was ultimately made by the then Conservative Government. Davies noted that the building had been used as a filming location for major films such as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple whilst empty.

How it is being reported

• Empty sports centre costs council £6k a week to secureThe cost of securing the former Richard Dunn centre has reignited a row over the building's future.BBC Leeds And West Yorkshire · 15 Nov, 18:21
• Council paying £6,000 a week to protect vacant Grade II-listed sports centreKeeping the vacant Richard Dunn sports centre building secure is costing Bradford taxpayers over £6,000 a week, it has been revealed.Yorkshire Post · 14 Nov, 13:17
• Security at vacant leisure centre now costs Bradford taxpayers £6,000 a WEEKKEEPING the vacant Richard Dunn sports centre building secure is costing Bradford taxpayers over £6,000 a week.Telegraph & Argus · 14 Nov, 03:00

In this story: Bradford Council · Richard Dunn Sports Centre · Historic England · Sedbergh Sports and Leisure Centre · Debbie Davies · Bradford

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