February reflects a sector balancing renewal and reinvention across the UK leisure industry. 

Holiday parks and golf clubs are pressing ahead with refurbishments and expansion plans, while landmark venues face uncertain futures and ownership changes. Major hospitality launches including flagship city-centre openings highlight continued investor confidence, even as some long-established venues prepare to close their doors. 

At community level, councils are exploring new leisure centre models to drive revenue and boost accessibility. From adaptive reuse projects to ambitious town-centre proposals, this month underscores an industry evolving in response to both challenges and opportunities.

Here’s what shaped February across the leisure landscape...

• Pario Holiday Parks is investing over £350,000 to completely transform the spa, gym, and lounge bar at its Tan Rallt site in North Wales. These major facility upgrades are currently underway and are scheduled for completion by 1st March.

• Despite currently being in administration, Cove UK has secured approval for a caravan expansion at its Springwood resort in Kelso. The project is set to move forward on adjacent farmland, overcoming local objections regarding increased traffic and the loss of green space.

• Darlington’s historic Dinsdale Spa Golf Club is set to close on 1st April, marking the end of 116 years of operation for the 18-hole course. While the club has yet to issue a formal statement, the reasons behind the sudden closure of the 1910-founded site remain unconfirmed.

• Beamish Park Golf Club has secured £400,000 to enhance its facilities and stabilise its financial position. This funding will support the conversion of Beamish Lodge into visitor accommodation alongside improvements to the club shop and guest parking areas.

• New owners have acquired the Grade II listed country house hotel Ox Pasture Hall with plans to revitalise the historic venue following its 2025 liquidation. The 17-acre estate features 39 bedrooms, a luxury spa, and a dedicated wedding barn, all of which the new owners intend to restore to full operation.

• Criterion Capital and Marriott International have launched the 532-room Moxy London Piccadilly Circus, the brand’s largest hotel outside of New York. Housed in the historic Criterion Building, the project employs adaptive reuse to transform former office spaces into a flagship hospitality landmark in the heart of the West End.

• Tower Hamlets Council is considering extending opening hours until 2am at its Whitechapel and Mile End leisure facilities to accommodate midnight workouts for shift workers and young adults. This proposed expansion aims to boost council income and could offer late-night access to badminton courts as well as more access to the fitness studio.

• East Ayrshire Councillor David Richardson is proposing a new multi-million-pound leisure centre in Kilmarnock’s town centre to drive local regeneration. The motion suggests relocating facilities from the "ageing" Galleon Leisure Centre to a more central site, despite a previously agreed £13m investment for the existing building’s makeover.

• Trilogy Active has submitted plans to convert two vacant units on Northampton’s Brackmills Industrial Estate into a 10,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art gym. The proposed facility aims to revitalise the long-empty site by offering specialised fitness support for older residents, youth, and those with SEND requirements.



• Magdalen College School in Oxford will admit girls into its main student body for the first time in its near five-and-a-half-century history starting in 2027. The prestigious institution plans to welcome girls into years three and four initially, followed by a transition to co-education in year seven by 2030.