PRELIMINARY work could start on Warrington’s long-awaited £29 million Orford Park Sports Village next year.
Construction work would follow in the spring of 2010 and the facility should open in the winter of 2011.
The showpiece 50-acre sports village will provide a tangible, lasting legacy in Warrington and the North West generally for the 2012 Olympic Games, according to a report to be considered by Town Hall chiefs next week.
It will provide a
blueprint for similar community sports facilities elsewhere across the country.
Main features include:
*An indoor wet and dry leisure centre, including an eight lane swimming pool.
*Outdoor leisure provision, including sports pitches and a park.
*Community facilities, including day care provision.
*Education, library and ICT facilities.
*Health facilities, including GP surgeries, lifestyle services and a pharmacy.
The borough council’s contribution to the total cost is put at £7.479 million, together with a borrowing requirement of £5.75 million. Partners in the project, including William Beamont High School, Warrington Collegiate and Warrington Wolves, Warrington Town FC, Sport England, the North West Development Agency and the Football Foundation will also contribute.
At present there is a £1.538 funding gap, but council chiefs are working to reduce or eliminate this and the council is prepared to borrow more if necessary.
A key feature of the scheme will be a retail development on the park frontage to the A49 Winwick Road
Revenue from this will be fed directly into supporting the sustainability of the project.
The scheme is seen as providing an opportunity to address health inequalities and promote healthy lifestyles and independence.
It will improve lifelong learning, create 133 new jobs and safeguard another 140 jobs.
Talks are going on to bring forward the re-development of Beamont High School so it can be delivered at the same time as the Orford Park Project. At present, this is not due for completion until 2014.
The report adds: “The Orford Park Project will be a huge undertaking which will require significant input from both the council and its project partners to ensure the project can be delivered to programme.”
