Hough End Leisure Centre starts on site
Laing O'Rourke has started work on a £9.2m leisure centre in south Manchester for the city council.
The leisure centre on the site of a former car park is one of three facilities planned by the council for the city, along with developments in Levenshulme and Beswick.
The centre will feature a six-lane swimming pool and learner pool. The facility will also have a health and fitness gym, two squash courts and a sauna and steam room.
The project is expected to complete in spring 2015. The building was designed by Aedas Architects.
Cllr Rosa Battle, Manchester City Council executive member, said: "A phenomenal amount of hard work and planning has gone into this project so it is a real milestone to see work begin on the brand new leisure centre.
"Manchester is renowned as a world class sporting city and this new resource will sit alongside our elite facilities bringing a top class leisure centre to residents that I'm sure will be cherished and well used for years to come.
"In what has undoubtedly been a tough economic time I am proud that we are not only able to create this leisure centre at Hough End but also brand new facilities in both Levenshulme and Beswick."
No mention of closing Withington Baths, then? or of building on the nice open green spaces of Hough End.
By I Thorpe