Construction moves forward on £25m leisure centre

Councillor Mel Jacob (C) visited the construction site with team members from Wiltshire Council, Pellikaan Construction and Alliance Leisure

Major work to build a new £25m leisure centre has reached "an exciting milestone" as the initial phase of construction begins.

The development in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, will include a six-lane 25m swimming pool, a learner pool and a gym with 120 exercise studios once finished.

Contractors have now completed complex groundwork to map out, remove or divert existing services and pipework beneath the East Wing site. They also excavated the area which will hold the pools.

Councillor Mel Jacob said: "We're now entering the phase where the vision becomes a reality and the people of Trowbridge can really start to see their new leisure centre take shape".

The centre is set to open by the end of next year.

"This centre, once complete, will be a transformative asset for the town and surrounding communities, providing modern, accessible facilities that promote health, wellbeing, and connection," said Ms Jacob, cabinet member for communities, engagement, and corporate services.

She added she was "very excited to see progress on-site" and would keep the public updated as this project continued.

"We've reached an exciting milestone," she added.

Work to install the facility's steel frame has begun

The leisure centre's large steel structure will "transform the local skyline", say councillors.

Once it is in place, the flooring and roof deck will be installed, followed by the external wall cladding later in the year.

Internally, accessibility is said to be "at the heart of the design plans".

Alongside the gym and pools, there will be a café, an adventure play area and a suite to provide tailored exercise space for older adults.