A NEW Wokingham leisure centre is nearing completion.
The Wokingham Leisure Centre at Carnival Hub is expected to open in mid-July.
It will feature swimming pools, children’s splash pad, a health suite, fitness studios, a café, a dual-purpose hall for sports and 400 seat cultural performances.
During the last few weeks the main pool has been filled, while the studios on the first floor are now complete and ready for the fitness equipment to arrive in early June. The main gym area is also nearing completion.
Due to a slight delay in construction, as a result of national issues with labour and materials, the leisure centre is now expected to open later than expected but still ahead of schedule.
There was also a delay in connecting the electricity supply so more time is needed to test equipment.
Cllr Ian Shenton, executive member for environment, sport and leisure, said: “We’re really excited about the Carnival Hub opening its doors this summer.
“To progress the construction of such a large building during the pandemic is no mean feat and although we are facing a short delay in completion, we are still way ahead of schedule of opening this incredible sport and leisure facility.
“We continue to invest significantly in our sport and leisure facilities.
“The Hub will be a real focal point for the community and will have state of the art facilities to help residents to improve their health and wellbeing.”
The Hub will also include a large café in the entrance area, changing places, toilet facility and a brand-new home for Wokingham Library.
The library is set to open on schedule later in the summer after its fit-out is completed and dates agreed to transfer books and equipment from the existing site.
To get the new library ready, more than 1km of shelving needs to be installed, ready to hold over 55,000 library books and items.
The Carnival Hub site is part of Wokingham Borough Council’s plans to invest more than £50 million to improve leisure facilities for residents.
Other projects which have seen investment include Bulmershe Leisure Centre in Woodley as well as centres at Ryeish Green and Arborfield, improvements at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre, the new BXGFit gym, Cantley Park enhancements, and 3G pitches in Arborfield and Emmbrook.
The new leisure centre will be offering a range of memberships and the ability to book activities in advance.
Details on how to sign up for membership of Wokingham Leisure Centre at Carnival Hub are available on placesleisure.org
