£5m Blyth Sport Centre refurbishment completed

The £5m refurbishment of Blyth Sports Centre has been completed.

The project, with design and project planning by Newcastle-based JDDK Architects, was split into three phases to minimise disruption and keep the Centre open to as many of the local community as possible but was severely affected by the Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdown and social distancing restrictions.

JDDK associate director and project architect, Nicky Hodgson, commented, “The initial brief from Active Northumberland was to keep as much of the Centre open to the public as possible whilst there was ongoing construction work, hence the initial phasing of the project.

“Nobody, of course, could have predicted the pandemic so what was an initially challenging scheme became even more so, but there’s been a fantastic effort by the whole project team to complete the scheme which altered and evolved over the two years.

“The main contractor, Brims Construction, and their Site Manager, Peter Swinbanks, were a pleasure to work with and made every effort to be more than accommodating during the difficult Pandemic working conditions.”

The third and final phase of work has created a re-designed reception area, soft play areas and extended cafe offer with linking corridors providing spaces on the ground floor with a dedicated cycling studio and ‘party’ spaces to the first floor.

Nicky Hodgson continued: “The whole project has been about improving the customer experience and extending the range of facilities on offer to the people of Blyth. In addition to purely sports facilities, the Centre now offers a really attractive and luxurious centre for the community who can enjoy the space without visiting purely for sport.”

“It’s been a hugely satisfying project for the whole team who have pulled together to overcome the various challenges of the Pandemic. Whilst the eventual programme prioritised the public, the facility staff and the construction team’s safety, it was this team effort that has made the project such a success.

Funded by Northumberland County Council, the refurbishment is part of a £65m countywide investment programme to upgrade and transform sport and leisure facilities including building new leisure centres in Berwick, Morpeth and Ponteland and investment to refurbish and revitalise centres in Newbiggin and Hexham.