Work begins on latest phase of Sheffield's Olympic Legacy Park

Construction work is now underway on the latest phase of the multi-million-pound Olympic Legacy Park (OLP).

Henry Boot, the Sheffield-based construction and property firm, was awarded the contract by Sheffield City Council to develop the OLP’s 3G community pitch as well as the hard and soft landscaping of the 35-acre site.

The 3G pitch is expected to be complete early next year ready for students from the UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus and the Oasis Academy Sheffield to use. It will also be available for public use from May 2017.

The public realm and infrastructure, funded by Sheffield City Region Investment Fund (SCRIF) and designed by Sheffield’s Ares Landscape Architects Ltd, will create a large urban park with walking, running and cycling tracks.

Open to the public from May next year, this phase will enhance urban ecology, with an edible garden, habitats to increase flora and fauna and a number of vantage points for looking over the city centre.

A flexible car park space next to the Park Community Arena will also be used for a range of community health and sports outdoor events.

Tony Shaw, operations director at Henry Boot, said “We are delighted to be involved in such a landmark scheme for Sheffield.

“It is great to see the project get underway and over the coming months the Olympic Legacy Park will really start to take shape.”

The construction works follows on from the completion and opening of the UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus – a facility for 600 students, aged 14 to 19, specialising in healthcare and sports sciences, and computing.

The Rt Hon Richard Caborn, project lead for the OLP, commented: “It is so exciting to see the site really taking shape. The Oasis Academy Don Valley opened last September and has seen its first year of students through the doors.

“Building work was completed on the UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus earlier this month and it opened to students at the end of September. And the site’s landscaping and 3G community pitch are the next stages to get going.

“The landscaping will tie the sites various elements together and really bring it to life – creating extensive green space for both people and nature.

“The pitch is being specially created to meet the needs of a variety of users, from schools and local clubs to professional sporting teams.”

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