Willmott Dixon appointed for £16m community hub

Goole’s plans to invest in a new town centre community hub has seen Willmott Dixon appointed for a £16m project to deliver a multi-purpose facility that provides health, fitness and leisure under one roof.

The company has been chosen by East Riding of Yorkshire Council via the YORbuild3 framework for the Goole Hub redevelopment on North Street in the centre of the East Yorkshire town.

The project, which received £3m from the Goole Town Deal, involves demolishing much of the existing East Riding Leisure Goole facility – with just the swimming pool building and sports blocks retained – to make way for Goole Hub.

Designed by Watson Batty Architects, Goole Hub will include more than 1,600 square metres of new floor space delivering a variety of community-based services such as a food court, library, customer service centre, laser tag area, ten-pin bowling alley, soft play, and learner pool with health suite. In addition, Willmott Dixon will refurbish the existing swimming pool, changing facilities and spectator area.

It follows a similar facility Willmott Dixon completed earlier this year in Morpeth that is now a focal point on the town’s high-street and comes a few weeks after the company was appointed to build a similar all-purpose community hub by Portsmouth City Council to deliver more local services under one roof.

Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “The all-new Goole Hub will provide a connection between culture, recreation and leisure in one easily accessible location and there is a real ambition to create a new destination within the town. We’re therefore really pleased to have been selected as the preferred bidder by East Riding of Yorkshire Council to deliver this exciting project.

“Aging leisure facilities are fast becoming out of touch with modern requirements, so it’s our job to not just deliver a building but create a high-quality multipurpose destination for the people of Goole, which will enhance lives and serve multiple generations. It will incorporate sustainable energy technologies – such as solar panels and air source heat pumps – to ensure it performs more efficiently and runs as healthily as its users.

“Parts of the existing facility will remain in use while the new building is constructed, so we’re looking forward to getting on site and beginning works to deliver a new hub for the town.”

Although historically successful, this is a much-needed improvement to the existing East Riding Leisure Goole facility. The council recognised that the site needed a major refurbishment as well as an enhanced and more diverse service offering to compete against alternatives in the area. As a result, the town side elevation has also been identified as an opportunity to replace a tired and uninviting building with a new one that boasts a vibrant and welcoming visual identity for the entire town.

Councillor Nick Coultish, portfolio holder for culture, leisure and tourism, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “This proposed scheme is very exciting for Goole and will provide a wonderful new facility for the town and for East Riding Leisure members.”

External work will include improving pedestrian access to the building as well as new landscaped areas to provide public spaces for the community to relax and enjoy outside. The development will also create additional parking spaces for visitors.