A prominent Ilkeston town-centre building with a long and varied history is back on the market – with current occupiers Wards expected to move out.
The site, now known as Donald Ward House on East Street, has been listed for sale with a guide price of £1.2 million. It is expected to become vacant in summer 2026, bringing an end to Wards’ time at the location.
For many in Ilkeston, though, it will always be remembered as the former Albion Leisure Centre.
Opened in 1986, the centre was once a busy hub for sport and community life, used by generations of local residents. But in 2008 it closed its doors after Erewash Borough Council said it was running at a “significant financial loss”, pointing to an oversupply of leisure provision following the opening of Rutland Sports Park.
The building stood empty for a period before being sold by the council in 2018 to Ward Recycling, who secured permission to convert it into office space. The move brought the site back into use, with parts of the former leisure centre – including the sports hall – initially retained within the new layout.
Now, just a few years on, the building is set for another change.
The listing describes a substantial 0.77-acre site, with more than 16,000 square feet of floorspace, including offices, storage areas, a large sports hall and on-site parking. It is being marketed for a range of potential uses, from health or education to office-based businesses, subject to planning permission.
Its next chapter, however, remains uncertain.
The site’s journey – from a well-used leisure centre to a vacant building, then into private office use and now back onto the open market – reflects a wider pattern seen across Ilkeston in recent years, where prominent buildings change hands but long-term direction can feel less clear.
With its size, location and history, this is not just another property listing. What happens here next could have a real impact on the town centre – not just in terms of what fills the space, but whether it brings people back into it.
And that’s the question many will now be asking again: what should this site become?