Countdown to Leisurezone begins
With Team GB’s success in Beijing fresh in the memory – and with
London gearing up for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics –
construction of Harlow’s new ‘Leisurezone’ sports and leisure
centre has passed the half-way mark and is now heading into the
home straight.
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Leisurezone will provide stunning new sports and leisure
facilities in the heart of Harlow, offering the perfect location
for everyone from UK elite athletes to families and individuals who
simply want to be healthy and keep fit. The building can be seen
taking shape on the Velizy Avenue site and the clock is well and
truly counting down to the centre’s grand opening next
autumn.
Leisurezone is just one of the elements of the Harlow Gateway
Project, which is regenerating Harlow and providing much needed new
homes as well as sports and leisure facilities for people in the
town.
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A spokesperson for the Harlow Gateway project, said:
“Harlow’s new Leisurezone is going to be something special.
People can see how the facility is taking shape and, every day, we
take another significant stride closer to completion. The
fact that we have passed the half-way mark and can now really start
counting down the weeks and months until we open next autumn is
tremendous. Very soon, we are going to have one of the best
sports and leisure facilities in the UK right here in the heart of
Harlow.”
The £25 million state-of-the-art centre will
provide local people with a top quality sports and leisure centre
on their doorstep. Among the impressive range of facilities
on offer will be a new sports hall, swimming pools and a health
& fitness suite including a large gym, spa, fitness studios and
strength & conditioning room. The indoor tennis centre
will also bring the opportunity to host ‘big ticket events’.
From badminton, volleyball and aerobics to squash, basketball and
the chance for rest and relaxation, Leisurezone really will have it
all.
As an official training venue for the London
2012 Olympics and Paralympics, Leisurezone will also provide an
even stronger link between Harlow and the London Games.
Leisurezone will include a members’ bar/lounge
and day care nursery. It will also be home to ‘Science
Alive’, a hands-on science and technology learning centre for
children and adults.
To celebrate ‘passing the half-way point’ and the final
countdown to its autumn 2009 opening, members of the Harlow Gateway
Partnership, the team behind the Gateway Project, visited the site
to see the impressive progress being made. Hosted by
Leadbitter, the principal contractor, the visit provided the
Partnership Board with an exciting opportunity to see the
facilities taking shape and how, in autumn 2009, Harlow will have
its very own outstanding new sports and leisure centre.
Richard Nixon, Regional Director of Leadbitter, said:
“This is a challenging project both in terms
of timescales and structural requirements but the works programme
is marching on at some pace and substantial progress has been
made.
“All the structural works are nearing
completion and we are now working on the roof and constructing the
walls. Substantial progress has been made on the external
works, car parking and roadworks.”