New leisure centre a springboard to health and fitness

The opening of an outstanding new community leisure centre that supports healthy lifestyles for residents in Hackney has taken a giant step forward with Morgan Sindall Construction successfully completing works on the Britannia Leisure Centre in Hackney, London.

The high quality project, which was delivered for Hackney Council and procured through the Southern Construction Framework, forms part of the first phase of an ambitious mixed-use community development located next to Shoreditch Park, alongside a new secondary school with sixth form and residential properties.

Set over four storeys, the stacked leisure centre features an impressive six-lane, 25 metre main pool with access to a steam room and sauna and a 20 metre by 10 metre training pool with movable floor and sensory lighting installation. There is also a splash ‘leisure water’ facility for children and families to enjoy, equipped with water features and a 15 metre high water flume.

Richard Dobson, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We really understand the value of community leisure facilities and how they can act as a springboard for better physical and mental health outcomes. We are very proud of our involvement and extend our thanks to Hackney Council and for the collaboration shown by project managers, Hadron Consulting and designers, FaulknerBrowns Architects on this exceptional scheme. We have been able to engage positively with local residents as well as offer both employment and apprenticeship opportunities, something which earned us the title of Apprentice Employer of the Year at Hackney Council’s Apprenticeship Awards 2020.”

Britannia Leisure Centre also boasts a large fitness suite with five flexible studio spaces, a six-court indoor sports hall, four squash courts, two five-a-side football pitches and two tennis courts on the roof of the building, along with a café and public toilets which will be available for use by the local community and people visiting Shoreditch park.

Delivering long lasting social value into the community

The project team put in place a number of initiatives to minimise disruption to the local community during the construction works, including organised delivery planning, providing an alternative entrance to the existing leisure centre, and creating two dog stations with water bowls and waste bins in Shoreditch Park.

Morgan Sindall Construction partnered with a number of local community organisations, including the Hackney-based Shoreditch Trustcharity, to engage with the residents, enhance equality and diversity, and ensure the social value of the project was felt by the local community.

The project made use of the adjoining transport for London Cycle Superhighway, CS1 by becoming the first construction project in London to use cargo bikes as part of the project delivery plan. In total almost 100 deliveries were made using carbon neutral cargo bikes. The project team also joined Transport for London in promoting cargo bikes by joining the Transport for London (TfL) cargo bike forums.

The company also held a jobs fair that was attended by over 100 people, connecting employers to the local talent pool and opening up a number of employment and educational opportunities for people across 12 organisations including GLL, New City College and the Metropolitan Police.

Morgan Sindall Construction put in place a number of educational, work experience and apprenticeship programmes, linking in with younger people from schools, colleges and organisations to help foster an interest in construction and support them in gaining knowledge and experience of the industry.

During the works on the leisure centre, there were over 20 school visits, 12 apprentices were employed on the project and 14 work placements undertaken, exceeding the project Employment and Skills plan targets set by Hackney Council.

Once the new leisure centre is open in late June, work will start on demolishing the old centre.

• For more information about this news release please contact Sophie Anderson at Influential on 0151 239 5000 or email [email protected]