The £83M project also includes:
- 10,000 seat stadium
- new Leigh Sixth Form College building
- 400 metre running track with a covered sprinting facility and club house
- new pavilion for a local amateur rugby league club
- floodlit grass and artificial pitches and a multi use games area
- 150 bedroom 4 star hotel and offices
- leisure and specialist retail facilities including a cinema, health and fitness centre, restaurants and bars.
Partners involved in Leigh Sports Village include:
- Greenbank Partnerships Limited
- Leigh Centurions Rugby League Club
- Leigh East Amateur Rugby Football Club
- Leigh Harriers Athletics Club
- Leigh RMI Football Club
- Leigh Sports Village Company
- Leigh Sports Village Trust
- Wigan and Leigh College
- Wigan Council
- Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust
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Leigh Indoor Sports Centre - A vision of the future
Leigh's first new public sports centre and swimming pool (.pdf, 147Kb) for decades is progressing well according to stunning new images released recently.
Leigh Indoor Sports Centre, when complete, will be one of the first major milestones in the £83M Leigh Sports Village project. The images show artist impressions of how the finished article will look when building work is completed in Summer 2007.
The £6.4M Indoor Sports Centre is designed for public use and is funded by Greenbank Partnership, Wigan Council and Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust. The centre will be managed by Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust.
The new state of the art facility is scheduled to be completed in June and should officially open in July. Leigh Indoor Sports Centre will include:
- Swimming pool - a 25 m, six lane pool designed to host competitive swimming galas with spectator seating for 180 people and room for 150 competitors.
- Sports hall - consisting of eight courts, can be used for badminton, basketball, netball, volleyball and football with seating for up to 280 people.
- Profiles fitness gym - the fitness suite will have 65 work stations consisting of weight resistance and cardiovascular equipment.
- Multi-purpose room - will provide a range of aerobic sessions and martial arts activities for up to 40 people.
- Aerobics suite - ideal for aerobic workouts and suitable for all ages and abilities.
- Changing room village - a series of individual changing areas complemented by six additional changing rooms.
For further information about Leigh Indoor Sports Centre and details about the facilities contact Mike Woodruff, the Manager of the new centre, on 01942 893697 or visit www.wlct.org/leighsportscentre. Detailed leaflets about the facility are also available at Leigh Library and Howe Bridge Sports Centre.
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New hotel
Plans have been passed for a four storey hotel with 132 bedrooms. The hotel will be an integral part of Leigh Sports Village and will be situated on the bank of Westleigh Brook and adjacent to Atherleigh Way. It will be 16.5 metres high with a central glazed entrance tower.
New housing
Barratts have submitted plans for 145 houses and apartments on the northern part of Leigh Sports Village. The new development will be of 2, 3 and 4 storey properties comprising 88 apartments and 57 houses. Access will be from the new roundabout on Atherleigh Way. The scheme meets the council's new design guidance for residential development and it was accepted by the Planning Committee in December 2006. Residents of the new houses and flats will have ready access to the sports and recreation facilities being provided within the sports village and Pennington Flash Country Park will be made directly accessible for pedestrians along the canal towpath.
New stadium
Work will soon start on a brand new 10,000 seater stadium for Leigh Centurions and Leigh RMI. The impressive building will feature hospitality suites, clubs shops, ticket sales and exhibition hall. Car parks will be laid out near the stadium and extra bus services will be provided for fans on match days.
The building will have a cantilevered roof structure with a maximum height of 17 metres and stands on all four sides.
The stadium will occupy a focal point right in the centre of Leigh Sports Village and will provide first class facilities for sporting teams and fans.
Wigan's Planning Committee approved the plans in October 2006 and preparations are now being made by the appointed contractor to start work very soon.
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New Sixth Form College
The new Leigh Sixth Form College is now nearing completion on the Leigh Sports Village site. The college is due to open in September 2007 and to provide new classrooms, laboratories, performance space and other accommodation for 600 students on full-time and part-time courses. The three storey, pitched roof, brick built college is located on the bank of Westleigh Brook. It will be integrated into the Sports Village by footpaths which link the Pennington Flash Country Park and the adjacent residential area. Access for cars will be off the new roundabout on Atherleigh Way and a bus service will be provided between the college and Leigh town centre through Marshall Street.
The new college will replace the present single storey college building on the site and bring brand new educational facilities to Leigh.
Leigh Harriers Athletics Club
New athletics facilities are now taking shape at Leigh Sports Village. A running track has been laid out and an adjacent area for field sports is being prepared. Leigh Harriers Athletic Club's building is now under construction to replace their existing facility on Holden Road in Leigh.
The new building will provide a new clubhouse, changing facilities and terraces for 200 seated spectators. The two storey, mono-pitched roof building will be constructed of red brick and render and have a height of 11.3 metres. On the first floor there will be a lounge/function room with views over the athletics area, together with a covered 50 metre sprint training/warm up track. The building is located in the centre of the Leigh Sports Village site and will be accessible by pedestrians from the surrounding area and by bus and car. The scheme will bring first class athletics facilities to the Leigh area.
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