Work starts on £21m Ashington Community and Leisure Facility
The development of a new £21m Community and Leisure Facility in Ashington has reached a major milestone where work has now begun, following a ground breaking ceremony on the site of the former Asda retail store and car park in Lintonville Terrace.
The contemporary Leisure Facility funded by Northumberland County Council with support from Sport England through a contribution of £1m of National Lottery funding, will feature two superb new swimming pools, advanced gym facilities, spa, multi-function sports hall and studio space to host classes and activities.
Arch, The Northumberland Development Company is the development manager of this landmark new development, and forms part of the overall renewal of Ashington town centre.
The facility will include a high quality library with the latest interactive technology, a soft play and a café all together in one convenient and modern location, which will provide a calm and relaxing environment to read, learn or meet friends. It is expected that the new Community and Leisure Facility will open to the public in 2015.
Ian Lavery, MP for Wansbeck, said: “The Ashington Community Leisure Centre is a major step for the project and we are excited about turning the plans into reality. The new development is at the heart of plans to regenerate and revitalise Ashington Town Centre and provide superb new leisure activities for local people.”
Dave Ledger, Deputy Leader of Northumberland Council said: “The council has been fully committed to providing these new facilities for Ashington. The local community has been involved and consulted on this scheme from the outset and their views listened to and taken on board. Ashington is now on its way to getting the high quality leisure services it deserves. I am sure the new facility will be an enormous asset to the town.”
Sport England Property Director, Charles Johnston, said: “It’s great to see that work has commenced on this fantastic new Ashington Community and Leisure Facility. By investing in top class, local facilities that improve the sporting experience, we’re helping more people develop a sporting habit for life. “
Councillor Val Tyler, Policy Board Member for Infrastructure and Culture at Northumberland County Council, said: “This is an exciting development which will benefit so many people. The library will be state-of-the-art and provide a fantastic, modern learning and reading environment for the whole community.”