Major construction milestone reached at state of the art Winchester Sport & Leisure Park
The new Winchester Sport & Leisure Park has reached a major milestone in its construction with a ‘topping out’ celebration to mark the completion of the external structure of the building, bringing the centre one step closer to launch in early 2021.
Spanning 9,900 square metres* and with more than 760 tonnes of steel used during the build to date, more than 80,000 people-hours have been worked on the scheme so far. A raft of environmental enhancements have been added to the project in recent months that will set the building on course to be BREEAM rated as excellent – making it amongst the most eco-friendly leisure centres in the UK. Features include a total of 849 square meters of photovoltaic panels that will generate 156,350 kilowatts of green energy a year, heat recovery units, and an energy efficient heating system. The site will feature new trees and electric charge points whilst the centre will be served by improved walking and cycling routes.
The new leisure centre will boast a wide range of state of the art features including a 50m (with a movable floor and boom to support a wide range of activities), a separate training pool (also with a movable floor), an eight court sports hall, four squash courts 200 gym stations, two large studios and ‘Top Rock’ indoor fun climbing. A hydrotherapy suite will also be available for patients with long term health conditions and for the public to receive physiotherapy, support with sports injuries and pain relief or for general relaxation.
In recent months the roof work has commenced and external cladding is being erected. The construction of the pools has been completed and these are now being tested for water tightness.
On-site technical apprentice, Alex Serazio, joined Winchester City Council, and Willmott Dixon to leave their mark on the new centre, signing their names on a top floor wall panel. Representatives from partners in the scheme were also present including from Hampshire County Council, University of Winchester and The Pinder Trust.
Cllr Thompson, Leader of Winchester City Council, said:
“This is an exciting milestone in the delivery of Winchester district’s fantastic new leisure park. The building is being constructed with exacting eco-credentials to ensure it meets the highest green standards possible for a building of its kind. We have also been able to support 20 young apprentices to gain valuable skills on site. On completion in early 2021, we want this centre to inspire all of our residents to get active and enjoy its state of the art sports and leisure facilities.”
Everyone Active, the centre operator, is currently developing its programme, which will ensure a mix of activities that will engage all age groups and abilities. Everyone Active will be releasing information towards the end of summer on membership benefits and how to receive early bird membership.
To find out more and check out the time lapse video of the build, please click here.