Willmott Dixon has been picked to deliver a £21m Leisure Centre and community hub in Morpeth for Northumberland County Council.

The scheme is funded entirely by the council, with Willmott Dixon aiming to start construction work on The Terrace site on Gas House Lane in Morpeth by November in order to hand over the keys to the centre in summer 2022.

When complete, it will support the health and wellbeing of local residents with a range of facilities that include a six-lane swimming pool with spectator gallery, learner pool, spa facilities, four-court sports hall, 100 station fitness suite, plus a dedicated cycling studio and large fitness studios.

The plans also incorporate a new community services hub which will see the town’s library move back to its former home on Gas House Lane, a customer service centre and a new adult learning facility with classrooms for STEM learning and catering. Interim Leader of Northumberland County Council, Glen Sanderson said, “I am delighted that we are one step closer to creating outstanding sports, leisure and community facilities for Morpeth and the wider area. The new centre will be a real asset for the town and a wonderful place for residents and visitors to enjoy for many years to come.

“When work does commence, Willmott Dixon will be implementing strict social distancing to ensure the health and safety of their staff and the wider community is not compromised in any way and that all measures on site are compliant with Government guidelines and Public Health England guidance.”

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the north, said:

"We are delighted to have been appointed to create such an exciting and important facility, one that we think the people of Morpeth will be proud of, for generations to come. The creation of top-quality leisure facilities to encourage health and wellbeing are vital to help our communities thrive. Morpeth Leisure Centre will combine that with a new community services hub; space that will bring people together and create a fantastic learning environment.

"We have a strong team in the region who recently delivered the Riga office development in Gateshead as well as refurbishing seven residential blocks, also in Gateshead. We'll bringing this experience alongside our role as one of the UK's largest constructors of leisure centres to ensure this is a fantastic facility for local people, as well as ensuring that we use local companies wherever possible to help support the local economy and create jobs in Morpeth."

The new sports complex will be run by Active Northumberland, the charitable trust that manages leisure services across the county on behalf of Northumberland County Council