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Work begins on £18 million sports development in Middlesbrough

New artist’s impressions have been unveiled as work begins on Middlesbrough’s Sports Village.

The £18 million state-of-the-art development at Prissick will include a new athletics track, fitness gym, multi-functional sport and performance spaces and external flood-lit pitches.

To mark the start of construction, former Middlesbrough and England footballer Alan Peacock and the town’s Mayor Ray Mallon took part in the official turf-cutting on Friday.

A new access road feeding the site from Ladgate Lane and the car park for The James Cook University Hospital is also part of these works.

The existing cycling circuit, clubhouse cabins and skate plaza facilities will be maintained throughout the construction process, as well as access to Tennis World.

This enabled the further enhancement of the Sports Village through the inclusion of the arena court and additional training facilities within the Sports Hub building.

Willmott Dixon is carrying out the construction on behalf of Middlesbrough Council.

The new athletics track and temporary changing will complete in October 2014, with the new Sports Hub building, associated external sports facilities and sports car parking opening in April, 2015.

Alan Peacock said: “It’s a great honour to be asked to break the ground on what looks to be a fantastic development for the town.

“Middlesbrough has a great tradition of producing great athletes – some of whom we’ve just seen at the Commonwealth Games – and the Sports Village will provide the best facilities to make sure that continues for generations to come.”

More images by the arst, as well as photographs of the construction process, can be seen at Middlesbrough Council’s Flickr.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .