Belle Vue construction begins
ISG has started on site at the £10m Belle Vue Sports Village in East Manchester, an 80-acre estate which will include a National Speedway Stadium, National Basketball Performance Centre and the modernisation of the Belle Vue Leisure Centre.
The speedway venue with a 1,800-seat grandstand will be home to the Belle Vue Aces and will be capable of hosting national and international race meetings.
The Belle Vue Aces currently share an existing track with greyhound racing.
The National Basketball Performance Centre will include three basketball courts, including a FIBA standard show court with a capacity for 2,000 seats.
The centre will be home to a number of Basketball England's national teams and will be suitable for training camps as well as international games and tournaments.
The Sports Village scheme will also see two artificial grass pitches and improvements to support a programme of community rugby league and football, as well as provide nearby St Peter's High School with facilities for curriculum and extra curriculum PE and sport.
AFL Architects designed the development. The scheme is being funded by Manchester City Council.
Cllr Jeff Smith, Manchester City Council's executive member for housing and regeneration, said: "After months of planning it always a thrill to visit a project at the beginning of construction – especially when it's as significant a development as this. To welcome two national centres to Manchester at one site is remarkable.
"East Manchester is already an internationally recognised destination for sport and leisure, and Belle Vue Sports Village will only add that reputation. But it will also stand out on its own and help to transform this part of the city."
Click any image to launch gallery
- Belle Vue Sports Village aerial
- Belle Vue basketball hall
- Belle Vue grandstand
- Belle Vue terrace
- Chris Morton BVA operations director with BVA chief executive David Gordon and Cllr Jeff Smith of Manchester City Council
