IT’S an air-raising view of Wokingham’s new town centre.
A new video has been published to YouTube. Shot using a drone, the incredible video shows glimpses of the new Carnival Pool development as it starts to take shape.
Viewers can see the full extent of the exo-skeleton that has been erected on the site of the old pool. When complete, it will also house Wokingham town’s library.
The swimming pool will have a moveable floor so the depth can be altered according to the sessions being run at the time.
The video opens with a panning shot of the whole site from the railway, showing the scale of the project, and it also includes a fascinating look over the new Elms Field park, with its newly built housing, and the Carnival mult-storey car park complete with bowling alley.
The allotments and railway line can also be glimpsed, giving an insight into 21st century Wokingham, something that historians will welcome in years to come.
The video ends with a panoramic view of the whole of Wokingham town.
It has been shot by Jase Stenion on Easter Sunday, and the holiday and lockdown conditions means that the area is very quiet.
Work on Carnival Pool has been accelerated by the pandemic – the old site came down during the first lockdown and construction of the new site began in October 2020.
The new centre will feature two swimming pools (a six-lane 25m pool and teaching pool with moveable depth floor and splash pad); a larger fitness suite and specialist group cycling studio; large studios; a four-court sports hall which can convert into a 400 seat performance venue; a spa, a health and wellbeing centre; larger café; and viewing areas. There will also be a large library including space for events and activities, a lending library, fun children’s zone and space for exhibitions.
This is the final stage of the borough council’s ambitious regeneration scheme in the town.
The borough council has also received planning permission for minor changes to the complex’s design which, will improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
In addition to rationalizing the internal layouts and introducing first floors into some areas that were previously shown as double height spaces, the updated designs also include new air source heat pumps and additional roof-mounted solar panels alongside other changes to improve performance and reduce carbon emissions.
Although the footprint of the complex will reduce slightly from what was previously approved, the energy efficiency of the building will be significantly improved, without compromising the leisure centre facilities. The footprint of the library remains the same.
