Hyndburn Council announce recommencement of construction at Wilson Sports Village, Clayton-Le-Moors
Hyndburn Council announce recommencement of construction at Wilson Sports Village, Clayton-Le-Moors
Hyndburn Borough Council are delighted to announce today that construction at Wilson Sports Village will restart in early January 2025 after new contractors were appointed.
Image – Artists impression of Wilson Sports Village
The project will now be completed by Universal Civils and Build, who have been appointed by Alliance Leisure, the Council’s Development partner, under the UK Leisure Framework.
Work was progressing well at the site, but came to a halt on 20th September 2024 when the lead contractor ISG went into administration, affecting many construction projects across the UK.
The site came back into Council control on 27th September, since then the Council and Alliance Leisure have been working around the clock to get work on site restarted.
Richard Lowe MD at Universal Group said:
“We are excited to be appointed to complete the Wilson Sports Village project in Clayton-Le-Moors. Our Civils & Build division has developed into an industry leader by consistently demonstrating its ability to deliver projects which exceed our clients’ expectations. We have vast experience in the leisure industry and of working with Alliance Leisure. We look forward to getting started.”
Tom Gardner, Alliance Leisure said:
“We are proud to support Hyndburn Borough Council in bringing the Wilson Sports Village project to completion. Despite the challenges faced following ISG’s administration, we have worked diligently with the Council and Universal Group to ensure the scheme restarts promptly. We are committed to delivering the scheme to the same high specification and quality originally planned. The state of the art facility will play a pivotal role in improving health and wellbeing across the community, and we look forward to seeing it come to life in 2025.”
Work, which is about 45% complete, is scheduled to restart on 27th January 2025. The new contractor took control of the construction site earlier this week.
Image – Drone photograph of construction site taken August 2024
Sport England said:
“Sport England have continued to support the Council through what has been a very difficult period for everyone involved in the project and are delighted to see the re-commencement of construction of the new facility.”
Councillor Munsif Dad, Leader of the Council said:
“I am delighted that the Council have been able to appoint a new contractor to complete this project. The collapse of ISG earlier this year was hugely disappointing and concerning. Wilson Sports Village is a significant project for the people of Hyndburn and after we committed to this project, it is vital that we are able to see it through.
I want to thank Sport England for their support and guidance throughout this process.
I also want to thank the officers at the Council and our delivery partners, Alliance Leisure, for the tremendous support they have provided through these exceptional and difficult circumstances. We have greatly benefited from their expertise and that of their supply chain, which has helped us reach this stage in a relatively short time frame and will ultimately save the Council considerable costs.”
Wilson Sports Village is located on land known as Wilson Playing Fields, which currently consists of a series of playing fields, a running track, clubhouse building, car parking and woodland trails. The proposal retains the existing mature tree line along the Western boundary which will provide natural screening from Whalley Road. The existing woodland paths will be retained and there will be no net-loss of the playing pitches and running track facilities.
The £12 million + development, delivered in partnership with Sport England who are investing £2.4 million into the project, will include a four-lane 25 metre swimming pool, a fitness suite, sauna and steam room, group exercise studio, cafe, large changing village and dedicated changing facilities that will service teams making use of the various outdoor sports facilities. The facilities are designed to accommodate an array of ages and abilities to ensure an accessible facility available for the whole local community to use and enjoy.
In addition to creating a modern activity and sports hub, designed to meet the specific needs of the community, the new building will be designed to optimise energy efficiencies. Air source heat pumps, solar panels and the utilisation of the very latest Low and Zero Carbon Technologies will all support the Council’s ambition to achieve Net Zero by 2030, building on the decarbonisation progress already made at Hyndburn Leisure Centre.
All works are to be delivered through the UK Leisure Framework, managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd (DLL) and led by leisure development specialists, Alliance Leisure, in full consultation with Hyndburn Borough Council and Hyndburn Leisure.