Willmott Dixon picked for Urmston leisure centre
Contractor Willmott Dixon has been chosen to deliver a £6.4m overhaul of Urmston’s leisure centre, designed by 5plus Architects.
The project includes the partial demolition and extension of the existing 1990s leisure centre, and will include the addition of a café, three studios, a party room, fitness suite, and changing facilities.
The front of the existing building, which covers 31,400 sq ft, will be extensively remodelled to create a reception and entrance area.
A planning application for the project was submitted in November last year, while funding was signed off by Trafford Council in September.
Subject to planning approval, work on the project could start in the first half of 2018, and Willmott Dixon will work alongside a professional team including Gardiner & Theobald as project manager, Hoare Lea and M&E consultant, and HL Structural Engineers.
The project has seen costs more than treble since an original funding package was agreed in November 2016. Originally set to cost £2.1m, the scheme has been radically overhaul, with the addition of a larger fitness space, a first floor, and an enhanced reception area all now included in the project.
Existing facilities, including a swimming pool and sports hall, will also be upgraded as part of the plans. These works were expected to cost £770,000, but this increased to £1.2m following a report to the council by project manager Gardiner & Theobald.
The extension forms part of the council’s plans to invest in local leisure centres, including Urmston and Sale, which is expected to cost around £30m.
This is around £6m more than originally anticipated, with a capital investment package of £24.4m agreed in November 2016.
In September 2017, the council also agreed to “explore further options and opportunities” for Sale Leisure Centre, following a report by its design team. The refurbishment and improvement was originally set to cost £4.4m, but the executive said it would need “further time to consider the full range of options”, with proposals set to be considered at a future council meeting.
It is not a swimming pool unless you swim for the swimming club at all other times it is a free for all. This re-design is a joke, the site is too small already for the current facilities but Trafford Council are trying to shoe horn in more stuff to justify the loss of G.h.Carnell leisure centre.
By Neil Haycroft
I will assume, with extra cost from 2016 to now 2018, obviously with inflation, the entrance fee will the go up considerably, thus leaving less people going to this facility, obviously there will be an influx of people trying it out, and then it will die off as it usually does, I have going to this leisure for 25 years now, and it took to long to get to this stage, “if its not broken why fix it” !!!
By Stevie
Still no mention of any squash courts .
By Mr P Doyle
Outrageous!! This sports facility is going to incur cost of £6.4 million to give….”addition of a café, three studios, a party room, fitness suite, and changing facilities….with the addition of a larger fitness space, a first floor, and an enhanced reception area” NO ADDITIONAL SPORTS FACILITIES! The closure ofGeorge H Carnall centre means the area will lose, not to be replaced, 2 x large sports halls, for football, badminton etc, spuash courts as well as Gym, judo rooms etc. How can this be justified??
By Robert