Rush to finish leisure centre frame before winter

Workers are "racing against time" to get the steel frame of a new leisure centre in place before winter sets in.

The new centre at West Denton in Newcastle has been beset by multiple setbacks.

Construction on the new facility began earlier this year and Newcastle City Council recently announced the concrete walls had been finished.

Council cabinet member for communities Rob Austin said the "weather has taken a turn for the worse" but workers were "ploughing on".

It is still hoped that the centre will be completed by the end of 2027.

It will have two swimming pools, sports hall, a gym, a café, a children's play area, a library, and a sauna and steam rooms.

The senior project manager for the contractors, Carl Maddison, said: "Work is progressing after a couple of challenging weeks.

"We are hoping for calm weather in the coming weeks so we can manoeuvre the last roof girder in place, put the roof on and the external walls before we begin work on the interior of the building."

The West Denton facility will be the first council-owned leisure centre to be built in Newcastle for 26 years.

Originally set to open in summer 2024, the scheme suffered a series of delays linked to cost inflation, the need to move a high voltage power cable running across the site, and old underground mine workings.

It is estimated cost has risen from an original £22.3 million to just shy of £40 million for the entire project.

The leisure centre was backed by a £19.8 million grant from the previous government's Levelling Up Fund in 2021, as well as £2.5 million from Sport England and a £1.4 million loan from North East mayor Kim McGuinness.

The city council has promised to cover the remaining costs from its own reserves, Community Infrastructure Levy funding, and borrowing.

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