Construction work on Derby’s new 50m swimming pool and water park is moving quickly.
The huge 50m pool tank has been completed and test filled ahead of being tiled in the coming months. Innovative technology will be used in the new pool. Moving booms and floors will allow the 50m pool to become three separate 25m pools and cater for a range of sessions by raising or lowering the floor to create different depths.
A Derby City Council Spokesperson said:
We have seen massive progress on site at Moorways Sports Village. All the steel work is up, they have started on the cladding and installed the first windows. The 50m pool tank has been completed, work on the water-park pool is also well underway. It’s all coming together very well as we move towards opening in spring next year.
The water park pool is currently under construction and will be tested this Spring followed by the rides and flumes being installed in the Summer. There will be two four-storey flumes, along with England’s first wave-generating wow ball and wave rider slide. Additionally, there will also be an indoor water playground area with mini slides and water jets.
The main contractor is Heage-based Bowmer + Kirkland and they have been very selective with their suppliers, ensuring a large portion of the work has been placed with companies within the region. B+K Project Manager, Jonathan Gisbourne, said:
Companies within a 30-mile radius of the project have benefitted from 50% of the work – that’s £17m worth of contracts and 65% of the project has been allocated to firms within 50 miles of Moorways Sports Village.
Our entire project team is working hard – with Covid restrictions having been in place for much of the contract – to complete this exciting facility.
Once completed the facility will have a spacious, modern gym fitted out with the latest equipment including three health and fitness studios, as well as sauna and steam rooms. A cafe will offer a range of refreshments and there will be a soft play area for young children.
Since the project began it was anticipated that Moorways Sports Village would be operated externally and last month Derby City Council announced that the running of Moorways Sports Village will be outsourced. The council believes that this move will bring added value to Derby’s health, wellbeing and leisure offer, whilst delivering value for money for the city.
Moorways Sports Village is due to open to customers in Spring 2022 and attract visitors from across the region.