Latest news with #TownsFund
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Plan for leisure centre to replace swimming pool
A swimming centre could be demolished and replaced with a new sports and leisure facility. A planning application has been submitted to Stevenage Borough Council, which owns the swimming centre site on the edge of the town centre. The plans include a 25m, 10-lane competition swimming pool with seating for 150 spectators, a teaching pool, a splash pad, and sauna and steam rooms. It would have a six-court sports hall, a fitness suite, multi-purpose studios, a spin studio, soft play and a café. The proposed building is between three and four storeys high with the main entrance facing the Town Centre Gardens. There would be 53 parking spaces – a loss of 38 compared with the current provision – including accessible electric vehicle charging spaces. It is expected to be open from 06:30 to 10:00 on weekdays and from 08:00 to 20:00 at weekends. If approved, the new facility would be built on the existing car park to the south of the swimming centre. The current facility would remain operational until the new one opened, as first reported by The Comet. A statement submitted with the planning application says: "The [1960s] building has been subject to incremental refurbishment over the years, but is no longer fit for purpose and is in need of replacement." Part of the funding would be from the government's Towns Fund, after Stevenage Development Board secured £37.5m towards the town's regeneration in 2021. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Gladiator ready to hang tough at £25m gym opening Work on £31.5m leisure centre starting in autumn Two swimming pools to close due to funding issues Stevenage Borough Council
BBC News
21 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Plan for Stevenage leisure centre to replace swimming pool
A swimming centre could be demolished and replaced with a new sports and leisure facility.A planning application has been submitted to Stevenage Borough Council, which owns the swimming centre site on the edge of the town plans include a 25m, 10-lane competition swimming pool with seating for 150 spectators, a teaching pool, a splash pad, and sauna and steam would have a six-court sports hall, a fitness suite, multi-purpose studios, a spin studio, soft play and a café. The proposed building is between three and four storeys high with the main entrance facing the Town Centre would be 53 parking spaces – a loss of 38 compared with the current provision – including accessible electric vehicle charging is expected to be open from 06:30 to 10:00 on weekdays and from 08:00 to 20:00 at weekends. If approved, the new facility would be built on the existing car park to the south of the swimming current facility would remain operational until the new one opened, as first reported by The Comet.A statement submitted with the planning application says: "The [1960s] building has been subject to incremental refurbishment over the years, but is no longer fit for purpose and is in need of replacement."Part of the funding would be from the government's Towns Fund, after Stevenage Development Board secured £37.5m towards the town's regeneration in 2021. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Community murals celebrate village's heritage
Two murals have been painted with the help of pupils from a local primary school to celebrate the heritage of a South Yorkshire village. The artworks, in Horse and Groom Square in Goldthorpe, Barnsley, were painted by Craig Evans and Tom Jackson, who are known as STATIC, with the help of the community. The artists created stencil illustrations with children at Highgate Primary Academy, and those were incorporated into the pieces. Councillor Robin Franklin said: "Everyone who has played their part in shaping and painting the murals, which are colourful, vibrant and joyful, can be rightly proud of a job well done." Franklin said the project, funded by the government's Towns Fund, showed members of the Dearne community could achieve "great things" together. "Barnsley really is the place of possibilities," she added. STATIC held an open painting day in April so people could contribute to a piece called The Stories on the side of the library in the square. A spray paint art workshop at Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church and a drop-in session at the Snap-Tin Cafe were also held to gather people's views. Matthew Stephens, chair of Goldthorpe Town Board, said: "STATIC have done a great job bringing the fantastic vision for the murals to life with help from everyone who came along to the community painting day. "It really adds extra colour and vibrance to Horse and Groom Square at the heart of Goldthorpe." Beam, a cultural organisation which works across the north of England, also contributed to the project which was commissioned by Barnsley Council. A council spokesperson said the pieces were part of a package of major artwork projects under way in the Dearne area, funded by the Goldthorpe Town Deal. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North 'Industrial past has made street art part of the fabric of Sheffield' Barnsley Council Beam
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Town centre dubbed ‘long-forgotten eyesore' set for £65m transformation into ‘stunning' landmark and plaza
Work on the town centre in Nottinghamshire could start as soon as early 2026 ALL CHANGE Town centre dubbed 'long-forgotten eyesore' set for £65m transformation into 'stunning' landmark and plaza A TOWN centre dubbed a "long forgotten eyesore" is set to undergo a massive £65 million transformation. The vision is to build a "stunning" landmark building in the left-behind area. 2 The town centre has been dubbed a "long forgotten eyesore" Credit: Alamy Ashfield District Council has revealed major plans for what it calls the "North Kirkby Gateway". The project will redevelop the Pond Hole site in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, as well as the former factory shop on Ellis Street. The old factory will be turned into a "striking landmark building" that will be home to 24 town centre apartments and business units along Kirkby Plaza. New parking spaces will also be introduced as well as 55 units providing retirement living for Ashfield residents. Read more News FAMILY'S AGONY Mum who tortured son so badly he lost his legs will be freed from jail EARLY The council plans to submit a planning application in Autumn 2025 and is currently in the process of appointing a contractor to deliver the project. Work could get underway as soon as early 2026 with the view of completing the redevelopment by Spring 2027. The plans are just one of the Council's projects being funded by the £62.6 million Towns Fund. The Towns Fund has already seen the completion of the Planetarium and Science Discovery Centre at Sherwood Observatory as well as a redesign of Portland Square and upcoming West Kirkby Gateway project. Councillor Warren Nuttall, who represents Greenwood and Summit on Ashfield District Council, said: "This site has become an eyesore and is in desperate need of transforming to create a stunning gateway into Kirkby. "We are excited to be able to share these plans for North Kirkby Gateway, offering desirable town centre living, community space and business opportunities. "We are committed to developing these sites that appear to be long forgotten into somewhere Ashfield can be proud of. "It is being funded by the council's £62.6 million Towns Fund." The council has said the demolition of the old factory shop building later this year will be the first milestone. Work on the derelict Pond Hole site is already underway and is being carried out by Langcroft Developments. Spokesman for the company, Craig Cameron, announced work was now underway in what is "a big step forward in bringing this exciting regeneration project to life". Huge new £1.3billion redevelopment to create new 'cultural hub' in London He said: "This marks a key moment for the Ashfield Town Fund programme and we're proud to be playing our part by delivering much-needed, high-quality and affordable provisions designed with older residents in mind - promoting independent living in a safe, accessible setting. "We've appointed CPMG Architects to lead the design and planning process and we're working closely with Ashfield District Council to make sure the scheme ties in with the wider vision for the area - from housing and skills to enterprise and community infrastructure. "We've had great support from the Council, the UK Government and the local community so far and with grant funding in place, we've already started the remediation and enabling works to help move things forward quickly." Separately, Ashfield District Council also lodged a planning application last October for the redevelopment of a new school. The Outwood Academy, formerly known as Kirkby College, has a capacity for about 700 pupils with students potentially moving into the new building by September 2027. Kirkby-in-Ashfield isn't the only area to see a major redevelopment either. Leicester City Centre is to undergo a huge £8 million transformation to make it "fit for the 21st century". Sweeping changes to Leicester Market are on track to be completed by the end of next year. Elsewhere, Croydon's centre is finally set to undergo a major redevelopment. From retail and housing to new public spaces and improvements to the train station, the London borough is set to see a whopping £5 billion invested into the area.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Town centre dubbed ‘long-forgotten eyesore' set for £65m transformation into ‘stunning' landmark and plaza
A TOWN centre dubbed a "long forgotten eyesore" is set to undergo a massive £65 million transformation. The vision is to build a "stunning" landmark building in the left-behind area. Advertisement 2 The town centre has been dubbed a "long forgotten eyesore" Credit: Alamy Ashfield District Council has revealed major plans for what it calls the "North Kirkby Gateway". The project will redevelop the Pond Hole site in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, as well as the former factory shop on Ellis Street. The old factory will be turned into a "striking landmark building" that will be home to 24 town centre apartments and business units along Kirkby Plaza. New parking spaces will also be introduced as well as 55 units providing retirement living for Ashfield residents. Advertisement Read more News The council plans to submit a planning application in Autumn 2025 and is currently in the process of appointing a contractor to deliver the project. Work could get underway as soon as early 2026 with the view of completing the redevelopment by Spring 2027. The plans are just one of the Council's projects being funded by the £62.6 million Towns Fund. The Towns Fund has already seen the completion of the Planetarium and Science Discovery Centre at Sherwood Observatory as well as a redesign of Portland Square and upcoming West Kirkby Gateway project. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Councillor Warren Nuttall, who represents Greenwood and Summit on Ashfield District Council, said: "This site has become an eyesore and is in desperate need of transforming to create a stunning gateway into Kirkby. "We are excited to be able to share these plans for North Kirkby Gateway, offering desirable town centre living, community space and business opportunities. "We are committed to developing these sites that appear to be long forgotten into somewhere Ashfield can be proud of. "It is being funded by the council's £62.6 million Towns Fund." Advertisement The council has said the demolition of the old factory shop building later this year will be the first milestone. Work on the derelict Pond Hole site is already underway and is being carried out by Langcroft Developments. Spokesman for the company, Craig Cameron, announced work was now underway in what is "a big step forward in bringing this exciting regeneration project to life". Huge new £1.3billion redevelopment to create new 'cultural hub' in London He said: "This marks a key moment for the Ashfield Town Fund programme and we're proud to be playing our part by delivering much-needed, high-quality and affordable provisions designed with older residents in mind - promoting independent living in a safe, accessible setting. Advertisement "We've appointed CPMG Architects to lead the design and planning process and we're working closely with Ashfield District Council to make sure the scheme ties in with the wider vision for the area - from housing and skills to enterprise and community infrastructure. "We've had great support from the Council, the UK Government and the local community so far and with grant funding in place, we've already started the remediation and enabling works to help move things forward quickly." Separately, Ashfield District Council also lodged a planning application last October for the redevelopment of a new school. The Outwood Academy, formerly known as Kirkby College, has a capacity for about 700 pupils with students potentially moving into the new building by September 2027. Advertisement Kirkby-in-Ashfield isn't the only area to see a major redevelopment either. Sweeping changes to Leicester Market are on track to be completed by the end of next year. Elsewhere, Advertisement From retail and housing to new public spaces and improvements to the train station, the 2 Work could be underway as soon as early 2026 and completed by 2027 Credit: Ashfield District Council
