Newton Heath Taekwondo facility approved

Manchester City Council has approved the development of a £2.7m National Taekwondo Centre in Newton Heath, designed by AEW Architects and to be built by Balfour Beatty.

The 28,000 sq ft scheme in Ten Acre Lane has been funded by Sport England and Manchester City Council, both working with sport experts from GB Taekwondo and UK Sport to develop a purpose-built training venue for British athletes.

When the facility is completed later this year it will provide space for 130 athletes, coaches and administration staff.

Work is due to start on the site on 13 April, and is expected to take around seven months to complete.

Steve Burne, managing director at AEW, said: "Our work on the framework as Sport England design advisors has included drafting the design guidance for all the Olympic Combat Sports. This knowledge is being utilised on the project in conjunction with GB Taekwondo and UK Sport to develop what will be a world class facility for Manchester."