First steelworks go into place at new Leisure Centre
The first piece of steelwork of Kirkby’s new leisure centre has been installed.
Local swimming Paralympic champion Ollie Hynd MBE joined representatives from Ashfield District Council and construction company Kier to sign the first girder as it went into the ground.
Work began on site five months ago and is set to continue until early 2022. The centre, which will be run by Everyone Active in partnership with Ashfield District Council, will include swimming pool, splash pad, fitness suite, sauna and steam rooms, adventure play, group exercise studios, sports hall, health hub and clip-and-climb.
New artist impressions have also been released which give residents a stronger idea of how the finished article will look. The new centre is being built on land between Lindleys Lane and the existing Festival Hall Leisure Centre on Hodgkinson Road.
Along with Ollie Hynd MBE, Leader of the Council Cllr Jason Zadrozny, Chairman Cllr Arnie Hankin and Portfolio Holder for Health and Leisure Cllr Kier Barsby were amongst the select few to mark their name on Tuesday morning.
Cllr Jason Zadrozny was pleased to see the progress being made on site. He said: “I want to say a massive thank you to the huge team involved in getting this project to the stage it’s at now, including everyone at Ashfield District Council and Kier.
“Construction of the main building will now speed along over the next few months and like many residents I can’t wait to see it progress!
“The new centre will be a fantastic community hub for local people with state-of-the-art facilities. Along with our huge investments into Hucknall and Lammas leisure centres, this demonstrates our appetite to improve our leisure provision for everyone.”
Ollie Hynd MBE has been an advocate for the project since plans were first put forward and is especially excited about the swimming facilities coming to his hometown. Hynd won two gold medals in the 2016 games in Rio to go with his gold, silver and bronze medals from London in 2012.
He said: “With quality pools available in Hucknall and Sutton, it’s brilliant that we’re now going to have excellent swimming facilities available for everyone in my hometown of Kirkby. Even if it’s not swimming the plans provide an activity for everyone so this really will be a hub for all the community.
“I’m very proud of what I have achieved in my sport and I’m sure having a leisure centre like this will bring through the next generation of world champion athletes from Ashfield.”
The £15.5m project received £1.5m backing from the N2 Town Centres programme, supporting a range of town centre investment projects across Nottinghamshire, thanks to funding from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.
Sajeeda Rose, Chief Executive at D2N2 LEP said: “The LEP is committed to supporting our region’s towns to be thriving centres of economic growth. The state-of-the-art leisure facilities will be hugely significant for Kirkby and will be an important hub for community activities and a key focal point for the town.”
Lorenzo Clark, Everyone Active’s Contract Manager, said: “This is going to be an outstanding facility for Kirkby and the wide range of activities at the site will ensure it serves all ages and interests.
“We are proud and excited at the prospect of running the centre on behalf of Ashfield District Council and cannot wait for the doors to open.
“Everyone Active will ensure the staff at the centre deliver a level of service to the community which matches the high quality of the facilities around them.”
