Work begins on new £15million Kirkby leisure centre set to 'rival any other'

Ashfield District Council leader councillor Jason Zadrozny and chief executive Carol Cooper-Smith met with building representatives at the new leisure centre site to see the work begin.

The new leisure centre in Kirkby-In-Ashfield will be built alongside the existing leisure centre, Festival Hall.

It will bring brand new facilities, including a 25-metre community pool with moveable floor, sauna and steam rooms, fitness suite, clip and climb and adventure play.

The new centre will open in the spring of 2022 with demolition of the old Festival Hall completed by autumn 2022.

Construction company Kier will be working in collaboration with Ashfield District Council and Festival Hall to keep the existing leisure facilities open throughout the construction period.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny, leader of Ashfield District Council, said the new leisure centre will ‘rival any other in the country’.

He said: “It’s an incredible feeling to be on site and start to see where the different parts of the leisure centre will be built.

“This project is something that the people of Ashfield have been long-promised and I am confident that in partnership with Kier, we will deliver a vibrant community-based facility that will rival any other in the country.

"I am so proud to lead a council that keeps its promises to its residents.”

Kier is also looking at a number of ways to support the local community throughout the build.

These include workshops for the young people, volunteer events, site visits and work placements.

Martin Williamson, operations manager at Kier Regional Building, hopes the new modern facilities will be welcomed within the community.

He said: “We’re delighted to be working with Ashfield District Council on this state-of-the-art new leisure facility, which will provide much-needed modernised facilities for local people. The project draws on both our technical excellence and experience of delivering multi-use leisure facilities.”