Hundreds turn up for Berwick leisure centre plan update
25 Mar 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Over 200 local people attended drop in sessions in Berwick last week to view exciting new plans for a £20m new sports and leisure centre for the town.
The events were organised by Northumberland County Council in partnership with Active Northumberland and Advance Northumberland and held in the Swan Centre and in Berwick Workspace.
Members of the public could view leisure centre plans in more detail, including proposed internal layouts, design concepts and building materials that compliment the local townscape. A map showing the location of the 3G sports pitch was also on display and members of the project team were present to answer questions and give feedback.
The new centre will be situated on the site of the existing Swan Centre and will be run by Active Northumberland, the charitable trust that manages leisure services across the county on behalf of Northumberland County Council.
Proposed facilities include a 5 lane, 25m swimming pool, a learner pool and leisure water, a sports hall, fitness suite and studios, a lawn green indoor bowls hall, spa facilities, cafe and soft play, an outdoor 3G synthetic turf pitch plus adult day care and some learning facilities.
Northumberland County Councillor Cath Homer, cabinet member with responsibility for leisure said:
“ It was great to see so many people coming along and showing a real interest in the plans. We are delighted at the rapid progress that is being made in designing and developing the new centre.”
Mark Tweedie, Chief Executive of Active Northumberland said: “The indicative plans for the new leisure centre produced by our architects are really exciting, the new facility is going to be an incredible asset for Berwick, and it was great so many people attended the drop in sessions to see the proposed elements and well thought out layouts. The new leisure centre is primarily for everyone living in and around Berwick, so it is really important that the community are involved in the planning process, we received some really positive feedback which will inform the next stage of the design process.”
The new development aims to provide a high quality, inclusive and modern community leisure facility for the town.
Paul Reed, Associate Director and GT3 Architects,’ lead Architect for the new centre said:
“We’re delighted to be working alongside Northumberland County Council and Active Northumberland on this project. Their community focus and desire to deliver a real asset to the people of Berwick, and the people who visit Berwick is something that we value. It has been fantastic to see such a great turnout at the drop in sessions and we look forward to developing the design with their interests in mind.”
Construction on the new centre is expected to start later this year. Work will be phased alongside the existing facility’s demolition providing consistent access to leisure facilities during the development.
Advance Northumberland, a new regeneration company established by Northumberland County Council is responsible for delivering the project and have appointed a design team that includes lead consultant Henry Riley LLP and GT3 Architects.