Construction of the new leisure centre and swimming pool for Halifax has started, marking the next major phase of development for the state-of-the-art facility. Here’s the report on this stage from Calderdale Council.
Preparation works have been ongoing over the last few months to get the site ready, which included site surveys and the partial demolition of the old North Bridge Leisure Centre.
Contractor Tilbury Douglas has now officially begun work on the new build, with the delivery of a construction piling rig on site – a huge, specialised drill that will help create the foundations for the building.
The rig, weighing 81 tonnes, will drill over 300 pile foundations (holes that will be filled with concrete) up to 13 metres down into the ground, to create structural support for the building.
Shelagh O’Neill, Calderdale Council’s Director for Regeneration and Strategy, said:
“The start of construction is a significant step forward for the Halifax Leisure Centre project, which is on track to deliver top-class sports, health and wellbeing facilities for all of Calderdale’s diverse communities in 2028.
“Teams have been busy finalising the detailed designs and doing lots of complex preparation work on site to reach this point, and creating the foundations is a vital first step in the actual construction.”
The new Halifax Leisure Centre will include:
- a 120-station fitness suite, three multi-function studios and a dedicated spinning studio
- an eight-court sports hall
- a 25 metre six-lane swimming pool with spectator seating, and a learner pool with a viewing and seating area
- a Changing Places facility
- wellbeing spaces
- a soft play and adventure area for children, and
- a café and community area.