Deputy Leader, Councillor Pete Smith was invited on-site at Plymouth Life Centre on Monday 22 March to witness the formal handover of many of the centre’s facilities ahead of supporting the safe return of visitors.
Contractors Balfour Beatty and Arcadis provided Cllr Pete Smith with a detailed breakdown of many areas within the works programme that were ready and awaiting final inspection.
The handover confirms the completion of ‘dry’ facilities including the gym and gym changing rooms, climbing zone, sports halls 1 & 2 and the dry dive. This is a significant milestone for the works programme that started last August and now permits Everyone Active to mobilise in time for the planned first opening of indoor leisure facilities under the Government’s roadmap on 12 April.
Contractors presented Cllr Smith with a large key to represent the return of these facilities back to the Council and their operational partner Everyone Active can continue to progress towards the next steps of welcoming back leisure to the centre.
An industrial deep clean will commence before Everyone Active re-introduce the vast array of gym equipment temporarily housed at Brickfields. Considerations such as staff arriving back on site ahead of re-training, IT set-up and calibration of specialist dry diving boards will form just some of the many activities that will ensure a smooth transition back into the facility.
Deputy Leader, Pete Smith said; “I am very happy to accept the handover of many of Plymouth Life Centre’s facilities.
“We look forward to the next update concerning the national roadmap out of lockdown, as all that’s missing now, is getting visitors back into Plymouth Life Centre safely with the help of our partner Everyone Active.
“It’s an exciting time, we are now seeing completion throughout the comprehensive work programme, with more to follow shortly.”
In accordance with the Government’s roadmap to easing lockdown restrictions, the gym and new changing rooms at Plymouth Life Centre will be available from 12 April, with the 50 metre pool and leisure pool opening on 26 April, when all facilities will be handed back to the Council and Everyone Active with exception of the dive pool.
Work on the diving pool is expected to be complete by early June.
The work follows more investigations when a complete re-render and re-tile of the pool walls was instigated to prevent further works being required further down the line.