The state-of-the-art facilities inside the new Moorways Sports Village are taking shape as work on the £42 million iconic building enters the final stage of construction.
The impressive exterior of the building, with its design inspired by Derby’s strong links with innovation and engineering, is now complete. Inside, work is at an advanced stage.
Two booms are ready to be installed in the main 50m swimming pool. When these are in place, they will be used to section off the water space into up to three separate 25m swimming pools. Moveable floors mean that the pool depth can also be varied enabling a wide range of activities to be offered.
This gives great flexibility of space, meaning the pool can be used for up to three different activities at once, for example for teaching lessons, lane swimming, and by clubs. The main pool is capable of hosting both 50m and 25m regional competitions with seating for over 400 spectators. There is also a separate learning pool next to it that can be used as a warm-up area for events or for swimming activities. Electronic blinds can be also utilised for private hire and parties in this pool.
Booms ready to go into the main pool
In the water park area the flumes and exciting rides are nearing completion. There is an orange wave-generating Wow ball, the only one in the UK, which is in place ready to provide lots of fun for families across Derby and beyond.
The gently sloping floor into the leisure pool water will be like entering from a beach and ideal for younger children as well as being accessible. There is also a play structure with tipping buckets and toddler slides. For older thrill-seekers and families, there are two four-storey flumes which lead outside the building and then come back inside into a catch tank. A wave rider, the only one in England, provides single or double rides in inflatable tubes, and there is a multi-slide providing the opportunity for family members or friends to race alongside each other.
A milestone will be reached this week when work gets under way to fill the pools with a total of 3.5 million litres of water. This is expected to take around a week to complete.
Water play in the leisure pool area
Fitness studios, including one with impressive views across to Moorways Sports Stadium, are also nearing completion along with the large gym area, which will be fitted out with 120 stations. This is complemented by separate changing rooms, with access to a sauna and steam room.
Also close to being finished is the main reception, with an adjacent large soft play area. The reception leads into a large open-plan café with views over both swimming pools, and a second smaller soft play area.
Derbyshire company Bowmer + Kirkland are constructing the centre on behalf of Derby City Council and work is on time and on budget. Moorways Sports Village is due to open in Spring 2022, as planned, and will be managed by a leisure operating partner on behalf of Derby City Council. Plans are on track to announce the successful tenderer in the New Year.
Councillor Ross McCristal, Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing said:
The new Moorways Sports Village looks impressive from the outside, and inside you can really see it starting to take shape. The quality and breadth of facilities it will have to offer is fantastic for our city.
When it opens it will provide the most up-to-date facilities for our communities, clubs and athletes to enjoy, as well as attracting visitors from across the region. It has been very exciting to watch this wonderful centre develop. It will be great to see it open in Spring 2022 which is a testament to our great team working with our key partners.
Jonathan Gisbourne, Bowmer + Kirkland Project Manager, said:
It’s been an honour to work on this exciting project which will bring fantastic leisure facilities to Derby and the surrounding area.
We are proud of our team who have worked hard through the last challenging 18 months and look forward to handing the project over to our client, Derby City Council, early in the New Year.