Marple Hub is due to open on Friday 11 December 2026. The development will bring together leisure, library, clinic and community facilities, alongside improvements to Memorial Park.
Opening plans and the library transition
The Marple Hub December opening is planned for Friday 11 December 2026, Stockport Council has announced. The development brings together a library, swimming pool, gym and studios, café, flexible community spaces and Marple Clinic. For residents, the immediate changes include the Marple Library move and the approaching closure of its temporary premises.
This remains a future opening, rather than a completed event. Service arrangements described below were checked on 24 October 2026; the announcement does not establish that every service will begin on the same day.
Marple Hub December opening: the announced date and location
The council’s opening announcement sets a specific date for the combined community building. It follows years of planning for replacement swimming facilities and the relocation of existing public services.
The council’s project overview places the development on a site accommodating the former library, police and clinic buildings. The library and clinic move into the new complex, while the police relocate to Hollins House.
The scheme also replaces the former swimming pool, which closed in 2018 because of building health and safety issues. It therefore combines replacement leisure provision with a wider reorganisation of community services, rather than simply reopening the old pool.
How the hub is funded and overseen
The opening announcement identifies £20 million of UK Government funding. The Marple Hub project overview describes this support as a Capital Levelling Up Fund grant.
Sport England has allocated £1.5 million for the movable pool floor and splash pad. A separate £500,000 allocation through its Active Environments fund supports improvements in Marple Memorial Park. These figures describe funding allocations, not a verified final construction cost.
The wider development includes active travel and local highways improvements alongside the building. The park and street works are therefore part of the broader programme, although their individual delivery dates require separate confirmation.
An earlier council mobilisation report describes a project board involving libraries, leisure, estates and asset management, children’s services and Life Leisure. It reported to the Capital Board and oversaw design, delivery and strategic outcomes.
That historical report also identified budget monitoring, design management and potential value engineering as financial risk controls. It explains the project’s oversight arrangements, but is not a current final account.
Swimming, fitness and accessible leisure facilities
Life Leisure will manage the leisure offer, including swimming and group exercise. The council describes a 60-station gym and a five-lane swimming pool with a movable floor.
Changing the floor position allows different water depths for family swimming, lessons, training and fitness. The council also identifies handrails on the pool steps and a pool pod supporting wheelchair users.
Life Leisure’s published facilities and access information lists a splash pad, cardio and strength equipment, free weights and functional training equipment. Its accessible leisure facilities include step-free entry, a first-floor lift, a pool hoist and a registered changing place. SEND family swimming sessions are planned.
These are the operator’s published provisions, rather than an independent accessibility assessment. Residents with particular access requirements can use the information to discuss their needs with the operator.
As checked on 24 October 2026, swimming will not require membership. Life Leisure says sessions can be booked seven days ahead, with payment on the day also possible. Lessons are scheduled to start in January 2027, initially allocating places through waiting lists. The group exercise timetable remains in development.
The information pod in Memorial Park is a separate service, not the main building already being open. Its listed sessions are Monday 11am–3pm, Wednesday 2pm–6pm and Friday 8am–midday, with closures on 28 and 30 October because of nearby works.
Life Leisure’s page also retains an older answer saying no opening date is confirmed. The newer council announcement provides the date used here.
The library move and temporary service arrangements
The Marple Library move involves a gap between the temporary premises closing and the announced hub opening. The temporary library and lockers at Marple Scout Hut will close on Thursday 19 November 2026.
The council promises enhanced provision at High Lane Library during the transition. Staff will contact people with outstanding locker reservations to arrange an alternative collection point. The announcement does not give additional High Lane opening hours.
As checked on 24 October 2026, the Marple Library directory entry identifies the temporary location as Marple Scout Hut, Memorial Drive. It lists staffed sessions on Tuesdays from midday to 6pm and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm.
Temporary services include free computers and Wi-Fi, assistance accessing council services and help connecting with Citizens Advice. Outdoor lockers support reservation collections and book returns. Those temporary hours and arrangements should not be assumed to apply to the new building.
The council’s November 2024 transition announcement also recorded continued home delivery in the Marple area and access to neighbouring libraries. It highlighted BorrowBox e-books, audiobooks, magazines and newspapers. These were continuity measures described when the temporary arrangement began, rather than newly announced changes to the December service.
The café space and its operating brief
Life Leisure’s café opportunity published on 25 August 2026 described a 155-square-metre space. It provided for seating for up to 50 customers across indoor and outdoor areas.
The café was designed to overlook the swimming pool, close to reception and the library. The brief sought an all-day, family-focused offer, including eating in and taking food away.
It expected attention to seasonality, food provenance and waste reduction. Local suppliers were encouraged where practical, alongside avoiding single-use plastics. These were expectations for the proposed operation, not verified results from a café already trading.
The opportunity described a partially fitted servery and counter, dedicated catering storage and utilities included in the agreement. Recruitment, training and induction support also formed part of the published offer.
Submissions closed on 14 September 2026, with selection expected during September. That timetable does not itself establish that an operator was appointed. The brief does not confirm a final menu or prove that café service will begin on the hub’s opening day.
Construction milestones and energy design
The council’s 27 March 2026 topping-out announcement marked completion of the building’s structure. It reported that the roof was fully installed, the pool was visible and the café area was taking shape.
At that stage, the council described an autumn 2026 opening aspiration. The later announcement of 11 December 2026 supersedes that earlier expectation.
The September construction update reported demolition of the former clinic, installation of air source heat pumps in the plant room and completed screeding around the pool perimeter. Screeding provides a level surface layer.
Swale drainage construction was progressing, with fencing installed and reduced-level excavation under way. A swale is a landscaped channel used to manage surface water.
The following four weeks were scheduled to include further drainage work, the start of car park formation, hard and soft landscaping, and internal decoration. Those were next steps in that update, not confirmation that each task had finished.
The earlier project report recorded a commitment to net-zero operational carbon emissions. It described a fabric-first approach, reducing energy demand through the building’s design, alongside ultra-low-energy plant. These are design objectives, not measured performance after opening.
How consultation shaped the building and access
The council’s February 2024 update recorded 758 responses from residents and community groups, following two September drop-in sessions and online engagement. It also confirmed Willmott Dixon Construction Limited’s appointment for design and construction.
The consultation response updated on 7 February 2024 records a reduction from three proposed floors to two while retaining functional space. The clinic was placed on the first floor.
Other recorded design responses included spectator access through the café rather than the changing rooms, public toilets at the entrance and removal of the library’s internal level change. These changes show how feedback influenced the proposed building layout.
The response rejected widening Memorial Drive because it would require removing mature trees. Instead, it proposed resurfacing and a passing bay. It also dropped the Station Road coach lay-by proposal and retained Station Road trees.
A commitment to plant three trees for every tree removed formed part of the response. These details describe the design decisions recorded in February 2024; they do not independently certify the completed building, road layout or planting.
Memorial Park improvements and walking routes
The council’s September 2026 Memorial Park update describes Sport England-funded works scheduled to finish in line with the hub. They include a new connecting path, agility trail, pump track, all-wheels area and improved wayfinding.
Construction access was specified through Garth Road, with separate notification letters for nearby residents. The update is not confirmation that all park works have finished.
The consultation response retained proposed signal crossings on Station Road, a zebra crossing by Asda on Hollins Lane and a Stockport Road crossing. It deferred the Ley Hey Road crossing.
It also distinguished funded hub-related highways work from the wider Marple Area Cycling and Walking Strategy, which would require a separate funding bid.
For residents preparing to visit, the key dates are the temporary library closure on 19 November and the planned hub opening on 11 December. Check council and Life Leisure updates for confirmed service hours, activity timetables and transition arrangements before travelling.
Frequently asked questions
When is Marple Hub due to open?
Stockport Council has announced Friday 11 December 2026 as the planned opening date, according to information checked on 24 October 2026.
What facilities will Marple Hub bring together?
The development combines a library, swimming pool, gym and studios, café, flexible community spaces and Marple Clinic. The council announcement does not confirm that every service will start simultaneously.
What funding has been announced for Marple Hub?
The council identifies £20 million from the UK Government, £1.5 million from Sport England for the movable pool floor and splash pad, and £500,000 for Memorial Park improvements. These allocations are not a verified final project cost.
Do you need membership to swim at Marple Hub?
Life Leisure’s arrangements, checked on 24 October 2026, say swimming will not require membership. Sessions can be booked seven days ahead, with payment on the day also possible.
When are swimming lessons due to start?
As checked on 24 October 2026, Life Leisure schedules swimming lessons for January 2027, with initial places allocated through waiting lists.
When will the temporary Marple Library and lockers close?
The temporary library and lockers at Marple Scout Hut will close on Thursday 19 November 2026. The council promises enhanced High Lane Library provision and alternative collection arrangements for outstanding locker reservations.
What is planned for the Marple Hub café?
Life Leisure’s August 2026 brief described a 155-square-metre café with up to 50 indoor and outdoor seats and a family-focused offer. It did not identify an appointed operator or final menu.
What improvements are planned for Marple Memorial Park?
The council’s September 2026 update lists a connecting path, agility trail, pump track, all-wheels area and improved wayfinding, scheduled to finish alongside the hub project.