By Daniel Wood
The Spen Valley Leisure Centre is set for completion in 2021.
The demolition of Spenborough’s current leisure centre has begun.
Kirklees Council deemed the 50-year-old structure no longer fit for purpose and they committed to an upgrade on the site, on Bradford Road in Liversedge.
The new leisure centre will include an 8 lane, 25-metre pool, as well as a state of the art training pool with moveable floors, a fitness suite, exercise studios, spin studio and new mixed ability changing facilities.
Council leader, Shabir Pandor, said: “This is a £15million investment and it’s a positive move to ensure people of Batley and Spenborough benefit from this.”
Some concerns were raised about pool users being displaced for 2 years while a new facility is built.
A spokesperson for Kirklees Council said: “Pool users have been informed about alternative facilities, which can be found on the Kirklees Active Leisure website.
“Regarding security measures, the contractors for the site D.Hughes Demolition have appointed its own 24-hour security, which was done before demolition started.”
The scheme, which was funded mainly by the council, also saw Kirklees Active Leisure contribute £750,000.
The council’s trees department raised concerns about 2 mature trees, which were set to be torn down for a car park. However, the council stated that a redesign was made to keep them.