The official start of the construction phase on the new Littlehampton leisure was marked with a Breaking Ground ceremony on Thursday 7 September.
The event was attended by the key organisations involved in the delivery of the project including the Chairman of Arun District Council, the Operations Director from the construction company, Willmott Dixon, and Freedom Leisure’s Managing Director.
The first phase of work will see the foundations laid with the centre set to be completed by April 2019.
The facilities at the new multi-million pound centre will include
:• 8 lane 25-metre pool
• Training pool (including moveable floor)
• 80-85 station gym
• 1 dance studio (capability for dividing into 2 spaces)
• 1 spinning studio • Café • Multi-purpose / meeting room
At a meeting on 17 July 2017, Arun District Council’s Cabinet approved the inclusion of a sauna and improved energy efficiency technology in the new centre.The centre will be fully accessible and built in accordance with Sport England’s standards. Arun District Council’s Chairman, Councillor Mrs Jacky Pendleton said: “This is a fantastic milestone in the delivery of what will be a superb centre. This is the location that the community favoured and it will sit well in our award-winning Mewsbrook Park.” WDC’s Operations Director, Ian Edwards said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Arun District Council. We understand the importance of this project and look forward to working collaboratively to deliver what will be a fantastic hub for the community.”
Freedom Leisure’s Managing Director, Ivan Horsfall-Turner, said: “After a long time in planning, it is wonderful to see all the hard work is coming to fruition and work is about to start. We think that the proposed plan will make the Littlehampton Leisure Centre a world-class facility within the south of the UK so we are hugely proud to be involved.“More than just leisure operators, Freedom Leisure is committed to providing affordable, accessible leisure and sport opportunities for everyone. We’d like to thank Arun District Council for enabling this wonderful centre to happen.”