
The Challenge:
Butlin’s were looking to revamp its leisure facilities, which were over twenty years old and showing signs of age. The renowned resort wanted to replace these facilities with a state of the art, bespoke water park to suit its family friendly ethos.
Having worked with Kier at the Butlin’s Bognor Regis site on several previous occasions, including the £8m Shoreline Hotel and £18m Ocean Hotel, Bourne Leisure contracted Kier for the construction of this prestigious project.
The design would incorporate a series of splash pools, water slides and a wave pool. The new pool would have a capacity of just under 1,000 people at any one time, with changing facilities onsite along with a café.
The area designated for the project had specific challenges that needed overcoming, including being located on top of an underground river. Consequently, an innovative and collaborative approach was required.
The construction programme would be 108 weeks long, this covered the initial set up, asbestos removal, demolition and construction.

The Solution:
Working closely with the customer and subcontractors, the Splash facility was built with four pools, including a wave pool. There were also three flume rides including the world’s only water helter skelter. Furthermore, there were twelve smaller water slides and an external rapid river flume ride.
Underneath the pools, a basement plant room was built to house essential infrastructure. This includes the combined heating and power units (CHP), which supply all the power and hot water for the building, as well as exporting power back to the grid. Further to this, other sections of the plant room housed the air handling units (AHU), water water treatment filtration equipment and the wave generator.
Towards the end of the project, Kier had over 250 operatives on site and the project completed with 250,000 man hours without incident.

The Impact:
Against a challenging timescale, the project was delivered on time and opened on the 1st April 2019 ahead of the Easter holidays, which is a critical period of trade for Butlin’s. The new Splash facilities were heavily promoted leading up to the holidays and have been enjoyed by holidaymakers since opening.
The 3700m2 Splash facilities have had great feedback from clients and will be enjoyed for years to come. The addition of this Splash facility has transformed the Butlin’s park at Bognor Regis into one of the largest indoor water-parks in Europe and is the first to have an indoor water helter skelter.
" The facility is incredible! I would like to shake the person who designed it by the hand. "
" The pool is amazing - and my kids would've stayed in it all day if I'd let them! "
" We all enjoyed the pool. In fact the kids LOVED the pool. A work of indoor water fun-based genius.” "
View more projects:
Every project we deliver is an opportunity for us to bring our unique thinking to solve problems, innovate and collaborate with our clients and beyond.
Butlin’s Splash, Bognor Regis
Building a £40m state of the art swimming pool and leisure complex within the existing Butlin’s resort in Bognor Regis, West Sussex.
Wexham Park Hospital Emergency Department and Assessment Centre
The design and build of a £36m emergency department and assessment centre, creating one of the most innovative care units in the NHS.
Project Maia - Infineum
Delivery of a 33,500ft2 Global Centre of Innovation at Infineum’s headquarters in Abingdon; featuring new petrochemical laboratories for research and development into new formulas for fuel additives; collaborative meeting spaces, office accommodation, a new staff restaurant and improved site infrastructure.
Trago Mills
Developing the first site outside Devon and Cornwall for Trago Mills, an independent, family owned and run discount leisure retailer. Bringing much needed employment to the area it includes 11 retail units, external sales area, café, garden centre, goods yard, ice cream stall, bandstand, adventure dome and model railway.
Gatwick Airport Overall Works
We have delivered over £50m of works at London Gatwick Airport, working closely with key stakeholders to deliver a multi-storey car park, out of gauge (OOG) baggage, airline moves and upgrades of security facilities.
St Sidwells Point Leisure Centre
Creating the UK’s first Passivhaus standard ultra-low carbon leisure centre, designed to save up to 70% on annual energy costs.
Aerospace Bristol
Creating a new £19m aviation museum showcasing the role played by the Bristol site in Britain’s aviation history, including a hangar to house the last Concorde ever to fly, restoring a Grade 1 listed First World War hangar to create an exhibition space
5 Pancras Square
One of the most sustainable mixed-use building in the country and winner of the Prime Minister’s Better Public Building award.
Reigate Grange Care Home
Creating a three-story luxury care home with a range of amenities and landscaped gardens.
Everards Meadows Phase 1A
Creating a vibrant destination in Leicestershire, incorporating a new cycle centre and cafe as well as site-wide green infrastructure.
Storyhouse
Developing Chester's largest and most ambitious ever creative project, working in a restricted city centre location, adapting the programme when a Roman building was discovered on site, restoring and revitalising a Grade II Listed building, creating new cultural spaces and receiving the Arts Council's highest ever score for a building.
Everards Meadows Phase 1B
Working collaboratively with Everards to regenerate land previously occupied by their brewing facilities, for the benefit of the people of Leicestershire.
Cheltenham Racecourse Redevelopment
Delivering a new 6,500-capacity 5 ½ storey grandstand at one Britain’s most iconic racecourses.
North Sea Observatory
A unique purpose-built marine observatory on the Lincolnshire coastline.
Bicester Eco Business Centre
The design and construction of a highly sustainable Passivhaus ‘Plus’ 1,400m2 office building. Laid out over three floors to accommodate up to 125 people, providing local office space for individuals and small businesses.
Aberdeen Music Hall
Restoring, renovating and extending this prestigious Grade A listed performing arts building, utilising building conservation techniques whilst internally upgrading the interiors and finishes to a high quality and installing new, modern building services and a/v equipment throughout.
Reading Gateway
Identifying this 20.5 acre site in Reading as a strategic development opportunity, delivering a retail and leisure scheme including new homes, a hotel, retail space, car showrooms and industrial units, trailing new innovations and generating 263 jobs and £138m of social value.
Brighton Mainline: Building Resilience
Supporting the power requirement for ongoing Brighton Main Line signalling renewal works. We installed a Westplex System in order to upgrade a key commuter line to increase the quantity of trains able to utilise the line.
FA Parklife
As part of the Football Association’s master-plan to build new football facilities in 30 cities by 2020, Kier have successfully delivered four all-purpose football hubs using state of the art 3G artificial grass at key grass-root areas across Liverpool.
The Aperture
The Aperture is the first phase of residential buildings on the Greenwich Peninsula. This five storey building comprises of a restaurant and deli on the ground floor, day nursery on the first floor, estate management and a community centre on the second/third floors with a gym on the remaining floors.
Hampton by Hilton, Bristol Airport
The construction of a hotel consisting of 201 bedrooms over four floors, utilising significant offsite manufacture.
The Ogilvie Building
The Ogilvie (formerly known as the Sanger Sequencing Building) provides 4,430m² of flexible laboratory and office space and an integrated energy centre which will feed future developments on the greenfield site.
Surrey Street Market
Regenerating Britain's oldest market in 10 weeks, collaborating with a wide range of supply chain partners, engaging with the local residents, businesses and traders and bringing a delicate touch to a much loved historical site.
University of Essex STEM Centre
Creating a state of the art teaching centre for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
S-Skills for Highways
Partnering Surrey County Council with an innovative scheme that brings vulnerable people in social care into the workplace, supporting these candidates to be able to carry out basic highway works in the community and helping tackle the national social care time bomb.
London Southend Airport Terminal Extension
Designing and building a terminal extension to quadruple passenger capacity, whilst achieving excellent sustainability certification.
Sheffield North Active
Transforming a tired council facility into a modern new leisure centre in the north of Sheffield, adhering to Sport England guidelines and taking on board local concerns, introducing a bold exterior design and keeping to tight deadlines.
Glasgow Fort
Constructing a new retail unit that included remodelling existing car parks, a major re-alignment of the existing spine road - including removal of roundabouts - significant public utility services diversions and installation of toucan crossings.
Walsall Waterfront Leisure
Completing the penultimate phase of the £65m waterfront development, taking it through the planning process, regenerating over 17 acres in Walsall including The Light Cinema and popular national restaurant chains, making the most of a canalised location and engaging with the local community.
Watford Riverwell
Delivering the £450m Watford Riverwell as a 15-20 year joint venture with Watford Borough Council, which involves regenerating 70 acres of land in West Watford to create residential, office, retail, leisure, industrial and hotel space.
Reading 10 Car Feeders and ETE
Creating additional capacity on trains from Reading to London Suburbs by delivering 10-car feeders.
Wexham Park Women's Services
The redevelopment of Wexham Park Hospital Women’s Services consisted of the remodelling of the Maternity and Gynaecology Facilities. This forming brand new, state of the art facilities for Slough and the surrounding areas.
Project Horizon
Working with Surrey County Council and the supply chain to deliver £120m of work for £100m on the fourth busiest road network in the UK, dramatically improving the condition of the roads in the county, driving down the cost of materials and increasing investment in new techniques and equipment.
Princes Gate Retail Park
Creating a new retail and leisure heart for the town comprising 23 shops, restaurants and bars, together with a multi-screen Empire cinema, 60 bed Premier Inn hotel and a 345 space car park.
Motel One
Transforming a derelict building into a 172 bedroom modern boutique hotel, retaining and preserving many historic features uncovered during the work.
Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre
Creating a new visitor centre at this Site of Special Scientific Interest after the previous one was damaged by a tidal surge, ensuring its protection from flooding and its coastal position, incorporating sustainable features and refurbishing an 1800s coastguard building to be used as an exhibition space.
Jaguar Land Rover Car Showroom
Constructing a high specification Jaguar Land Rover car showroom for high-end tenant Jardine Motors, ensuring high quality design and build standards.
Harlow Rugby Club partnership
Unlocking new homes through partnership working in Harlow.
Finlake Leisure Pool
Designing and constructing a new leisure complex within this holiday village on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, including toddler and 20m adult swimming pools, Tornado and Twister flume rides, and water playground, gymnasium, other leisure facilities and associated plant and equipment.
ED1SON Capital Delivery Alliance
A step change in the way DNO capital works and connections are delivered. Together with UK Power Networks and our Alliance partners, we deliver the improvements necessary to achieve OFGEM-mandated outputs in Customer Service, Safety, Sustainability and Network Health and Reliability.
Crewe Lifestyle Centre
Creating a viable and affordable facility that brought all Crewe's lifestyle services - pool, gym, sports hall, library, specialist daycare and family service facilities - together under one roof, meeting a diverse range of user needs and building within a constrained town centre site.
Cancer Centre of Immunology
Designing and building the UK’s first dedicated centre for cancer immunology research to bring together world-leading cancer scientists and enable interdisciplinary teams to expand clinical trials and develop more lifesaving drugs.
Balcombe Signalling
Upgrading a key commuter line to increase the quantity of trains able to utilise the line.
Baker Barracks
Constructing and refurbishing critical MoD accommodation and infrastructure, whilst creating value for the armed forces community through CSR.
Aureus Secondary School
Delivering a new secondary school on the Great Western Park Development in Didcot, ensuring it was completed in time for the start of the new school year, creating extensive outdoor sports facilities as well as a building for 1,200 students and working alongside contractors delivering housing projects.
Oldham Town Hall
Restoring an iconic building, taking part in feasibility studies to decide the best use of the building, working on the project to turn it into a seven-screen cinema with restaurants, coffee shop and retail units, winning multiple industry awards and creating something of huge importance to local people.
Wedge House
Building a striking new build boutique hotel with works comprising the design, construction and fit out of 192 hotel rooms, 4,700m2 Cat A office space and full fit out of three floors of bars and restaurants.
Bartholomew School
Enhancing the estate of an already ‘outstanding’ Ofsted school to provide up-to-date facilities, fit for 21st-century learning.
Delivering and adapting industrial units for SEGRO
We have delivered over £200m of works for SEGRO, across 33 projects over the last fourteen years. Working collaboratively with SEGRO and its tenants, we have a successful track record and flexible approach in delivering and adapting industrial units to tenants’ needs.
Piries Place Car Park
New carpark, with iconic 14.5m living wall, provides much-needed, modern spacious multi-level parking facilities, completing the regeneration of Piries Place, an historic area of Horsham in West Sussex. Delivered through the Scape National Minor Works framework, the new car park, provides 189 additional spaces.
Springhead Park Primary School
Springhead Park Primary School is a brand new modular two-form of entry with additional 26 nursery spaces in Ebbsfleet, Kent. The new schools holds 420 pupils ages from 3 – 11. The building includes teaching space, food tech facilities, science laboratories, multi-use agency space and hard court play area.
Gosport Borough Council - responsive repairs and planned maintenance
Delivering responsive repairs and planned maintenance to 3200 homes in Gosport as well as specialist works including gas systems, electrical works and major disabled adaptations. Every year we deliver over 12,000 repairs and take approximately 17,000 calls.
Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School
Design and construction of two replacement buildings as part of a 1,100 pupil school in Canterbury, Kent, providing 7,500m² of teaching space across a range of traditional classrooms and learning areas with specialist areas for art, science and technology. The second phase, currently underway, includes asbestos clearance, demolition of the existing school buildings, construction of a car park and MUGA area.
Ponteland School & Leisure Centre
Ponteland School & Leisure Centre features a 420-place primary school and a 1,600-place secondary school, a state-of-the-art leisure centre with swimming pools, aqua play, spa, gym, climbing walls, dance studios, soft play zone, a 3G sports pitch, bar, cafés, library and a new community fire station.
Ebbsfleet Green Primary School
The design and construction of a new modular build 2FE primary school within Ebbsfleet Garden City, Kent, catering for students ranging from nursery to year six. The school also includes specialist resources for up to 15 pupils with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder plus a 26-place nursery.
The Heights Primary School, Reading
Constructing a new primary school to address the shortage of pupil places in Reading, Berkshire.
Riverside Ice & Leisure Centre, Chelmsford
New £40 million Leisure Centre in the heart of Chelmsford
Contego Battery Storage Plant
Powering up one of the largest and most advanced battery storage plants in the UK.
Heatherwood Hospital
The design and build of a £98m state-of-the-art facility using the latest technology to deliver outstanding services to NHS and private patients across Berkshire, Hampshire, and Surrey.
Burghfield breach
In late October 2021, following a sustained period of heavy rainfall and rising water levels, the Kennet and Avon Canal breached its banks near the village of Burghfield in Berkshire. Our emergency response team was mobilised quickly to assess the damage and the impact of flood waters on the surrounding area.