Work restarts on £3.2m community facility
Construction has begun on the Bewsey & Dallam Community Hub on Longshaw Street, with Whitfield & Brown appointed main contractor.
The £3.25m facility forms part of Warrington Council’s wider regeneration plans for the area, and is due to open in summer 2020.
The dementia-friendly hub will be around 9,600 sq ft across three storeys. The ground floor features a learner/hydro-therapy pool, changing rooms, social area, digital wellbeing suite, community room and a small library.
Plans will also be developed to provide a range of activities for the wider community.
A groundbreaking event was held in March 2016, however no further construction work took place, after responses to the council’s tender process came back higher than expected. In response, the project cost was increased, and the construction contract re-tendered.
Warrington Council’s executive board member for leisure and community, Cllr Tony Higgins, said: “The Bewsey and Dallam Community Hub is a hugely important facility, which will make a real difference to local people’s lives. This is why we’ve remained fully committed to the project, despite some of the challenges we’ve faced in its delivery.
“I’m absolutely delighted that these obstacles have now been overcome, and that the scheme is now on-site and moving forward. It will provide a much-needed community facility in the area and support our vision to improve leisure, learning and wellbeing opportunities for people throughout Bewsey and Dallam.”
The hub is being delivered by Warrington & Co through combined capital investment from Warrington Council, Sport England, the Better Care Fund and Torus. The facility will be operated by LiveWire.
The design team comprises Walker Simpson Architects, ECS Building Services Consultants and MDA Wirral Structural Engineers, while Baker Mallett will project manage the delivery of the scheme.
