Willmott Dixon chosen for £16m Goole Hub redevelopment

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has picked the contractor to deliver a health and fitness project providing 17,200 sq ft of new floorspace, with Watson Batty engaged as architect.

The contract to redevelop the North Street site was procured via the YORbuild3 framework.

Backed by £3m from the Goole Town Deal, the project involves demolishing much of the existing East Riding Leisure Goole facility, with just the swimming pool building and sports blocks retained.

The all-new Goole Hub will see a variety of community-based services added to the offer 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.

Willmott Dixon completed a similar project in Morpeth earlier this year, which the firm said has now become a focal point on the town’s high street. Portsmouth City Council has since also chosen the company to deliver a multi-purpose hub.

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 this will be an exciting new high-quality multipurpose destination for the people of Goole, which will support community cohesion and enhance lives.

“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, and we’re looking forward to getting on site and beginning work as soon as possible.”

In recognising that the municipal leisure site needed a more diversified as well as an updated offer, the council identified the town-side elevation as an opportunity to replace an uninviting building with a stronger visual identity.

Cllr 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.