Contractors to make new £35m leisure centre COVID-19 ready ahead of opening

Councillors in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon involved in project managing the build lavished praise on the contractor during a guided tour this week (August 25).

A spokesperson for the council said: “Significant work has been undertaken by the contractor Farrans to bring the build to this stage, and it is anticipated the project completition date will be mid-September.

“With construction work on the facility almost complete, Farrans in conjunction with Council are currently installing ultramodern finishing touches that will set this facility apart from others across NI. In today’s current environment health and safety will be of paramount importance on opening, therefore a range of new measures are in place throughout the centre with staff receiving full training in advance of opening.

“The tour showcased everything this expansive facility has to offer including its unique 50-metre pool, young children’s indoor leisure water feature, a 1,000m2 state-of-the-art gym, multiple studios, sensory room, eight-court sports halls, spin studio, soft play area and an on-site café.”

As it is sited beside the lakes, the centre has extensive outdoor water sports amenities including; windsurfing, water skiing and paddle sports.

The centre will open to the public on November 2.

Alderman Kenneth Twyble, Chair of South Lake Leisure Centre Project Board, said: “We were delighted to get on-site to see firsthand the progress of this truly magnificent centre. Everything in the building is of the highest safety and quality standard, leading the way in terms of modern leisure facilities in Northern Ireland. I have no doubt that this centre will be of significant benefit to our whole community, driving forward our agenda to improve accessibility to leisure services, and act as a catalyst to improve health and wellbeing standards for everyone in our community”.

“I know there is great excitement among our residents who are looking forward to the doors of the centre opening on 2 nd November”.

The venue will provide a competitive range of flexible membership and customer schemes allowing easy and affordable access on a one-off or longer term basis, so that everyone can enjoy the new facility in a way that suits their lifestyle and budget. To find out more visit http://leisureoffers.co.uk/southlake/ For questions, queries or updates please email [email protected]

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you