£5 million investment agreed to modernise Blyth Sports Centre
12 Mar 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Northumberland County Council’s cabinet has agreed to award £5 million of funding to completely modernise Blyth Sports Centre.
The funding will be used to give the centre a major facelift, improve sports and leisure facilities and create a wellness hub for the local community.
Plans are in place to create a new state of the art gym and fitness area, a dedicated cycling studio, a new and improved soft play experience and an extended catering offer.
There will also be a new and improved spa, children’s party rooms and two new studios, while the toilets and changing rooms will be refurbished and the pool hall refreshed and redecorated.
A re-designed modern and welcoming reception area will improve the customer experience.
The investment will also provide the opportunity to transform the centre into a wellness hub that will bring together a range of community facilities under one roof and support the whole community to enjoy a physically active lifestyle and to achieve their wellness goals.
The Blyth Sports Centre was built in 1967 and due to the age of the building there is also a need to undertake a backlog of essential repair and maintenance work.
Northumberland County Councillor, Cath Homer, cabinet member with responsibility for leisure said:
“The community of Blyth has been in need of new and improved leisure facilities for many years and we know it has been a real concern for local residents.
“ The aim of this investment is to provide a mix of modern, state of the art facilities that will provide opportunities for fun, fitness and relaxation and increase overall participation in health and wellness related activities within the community.”
The work will be managed by Active Northumberland, the charitable trust that manages leisure services across the county on behalf of Northumberland County Council.
Mark Tweedie, Chief Executive of Active Northumberland said:
“ Modern lifestyles mean that most of us are not as physically active as we should be which can be detrimental to our long term health, so it's never been more important to provide great places for people to stay active and have fun.
“The centre is to undergo a major transformation incorporating some of the very best services and equipment. I’m sure that once people see the finished results, they will be as excited about it as we are.”
The re-design and tender process for the work will now commence and it is hoped that work will be able to start on site in Autumn. The refurbishment programme will be carried out on a phased basis so the centre will remain open and minimise any impact on the public.
The latest investment in Blyth forms part of the council’s commitment to improving sports and leisure facilities across the county, including building new leisure centres in Berwick, Morpeth and Ponteland.