The flagship Tameside Wellness Centre in Denton, Greater Manchester, will open its doors to the public ahead of schedule on March 2.
A handover ceremony took place on Friday 31 January when developer Network Space and construction company Willmott Dixon presented the keys of the new £15 million facility to Tameside Council and Active Tameside, who will manage the centre. Visitors will be able to use facilities such as the swimming pools, ten-pin bowling, fitness suite and thermal area.
The innovative project, which combines leisure, community and wellness facilities, has been built on brownfield land next to the new Denton link road, Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze Way, in the heart of Denton.
It includes an eight-lane, 25metre, competition swimming pool with room for 150 spectators and a learner pool; a spa area including sauna, steam and relaxation facilities; a fitness suite; and a ten-pin bowling alley. However, it also boasts a host of wellness features that will benefit the whole community including: meeting rooms, free wi-fi, a children’s soft play area, multi-use studio spaces and a social interaction zone.
The roof space will be transformed into a sensory garden and could also be used for a pop-up cinema, small theatre or open air exercise space.
Developer Network Space has delivered the scheme with the architecturally striking centre designed by Pozzoni Architecture to be accessible by all, with disabled access to the swimming pool and dementia friendly design used throughout the development.
The flagship project is part of Tameside Council’s £20million investment into leisure resources to provide some of the best facilities in Greater Manchester that offer varied and fun ways for the whole family to be active. Active Tameside will now complete the fit out over the next few weeks.
Tameside Council Executive Leader Councillor Brenda Warrington said: “I’m delighted with the excellent progress made on constructing Tameside Wellness Centre – Denton, which means our residents will be able to benefit from the wonderful facilities sooner than expected.
“We want to support people in keeping as active and healthy as possible and the centre has something for everyone, from a range of top-class leisure facilities to help stay fit to community spaces and events that will bring everyone together to innovative designs that will make it accessible and creative. I can’t wait for the opening when people will be able to make the most of this superb development.”
Active Tameside Chief Executive Chris Rushton said: “We are privileged to be operating the Tameside Wellness Centre – Denton on behalf of the Council. In recent years, Active Tameside has led the way in the provision of integrated products and services with the aim of driving health and social outcomes within the borough.
“In simple terms, we aim to support Tameside residents in living their best lives and the new Wellness Centre will be in the vanguard of this quest.”
Joe Burnett, development director at Network Space, added: “We are delighted to hand over the Wellness Centre to Tameside Council early. Network Space has worked on the wider project for many years acquiring the land needed to deliver the project, securing essential infrastructure and more recently, facilitating the adjacent housing development.
“Delivering the final piece of the jigsaw, the Tameside Wellness Centre – Denton, is the icing on the cake. The centre is an exceptional facility and we are confident it will have a huge and lasting positive impact on the people of Tameside.”
Sport England has backed the scheme by providing a £1.5 million grant.