Willmott Dixon gears up for Goole Hub start
Plans have been approved for the £17m redevelopment of East Riding Leisure Goole into the 17,000 sq ft health and fitness facility.
The leisure centre has been vacated and initial work has started on clearing the site, ahead of the council’s contractor and design partner Wilmott Dixon starting work.
East Riding Council’s western area sub-planning committee has now okayed the proposals. Watson Batty is on board as architect.
The project will see the site’s sports hall retained and a health suite added. Goole Library and customer service centre will relocate to the hub.
There will be a highly visible central core and café area, and the new learner pool will be located at the front. The venue will also offer a new sensory area.
On the first floor, the gym space has been re-designed and will be enhanced. The first floor will also include a new atrium space. The new facility will benefit from a six-lane bowling alley.
It is hoped that completion will be in summer, 2025.
Cllr Nick Coultish, portfolio holder for culture, leisure and tourism, said : “This scheme is very exciting for Goole and will provide a wonderful new facility for the town, and for our East Riding Leisure members. I am absolutely delighted that work can now get under way on the site.
“We recognise the inconvenience that will be caused by the lengthy closure of East Riding Leisure Goole, but we promise that the wait will be worth it.
“A whole range of alternative arrangements are in place during the closure period, and we continue to work hard to ensure the best possible alternatives are made available. We will also communicate with residents and customers throughout the process.”
The Goole Town Deal will be contributing £3.4m of the total £17m.
During the construction period and the closure of the centre, gym provision and group exercise classes have moved to the former Goole College site.
The contract to redevelop the North Street site was procured via the YORbuild3 framework, with Willmott Dixon confirmed in November.