How is town's new leisure centre being built?

Work is progressing on Bishop Auckland's new £26.6m leisure centre, but how are they doing it?

Digging the pool first would surely make sense, as excavating a large hole is easier when there is no structure in the way?

But then putting the steel frame up at the beginning would also seem reasonable, to protect the pool during its construction, right?

"There are good points and bad points to both approaches," says Nick Aitken, senior project manager Morgan Sindall, the firm building the new leisure centre for Durham County Council.

"It really depends on each individual project."

The new centre is being constructed on an expanse of grass and site of the former library on Watling Road, directly next door to the more than 50-year-old Woodhouse Close Leisure Complex.

"It's quite a constrained site," Nick says, which is why they went for digging the pool first so the groundworks team were "not fighting for space" with the other contractors.

The site is bordered to the east and north by two main roads, Watling Road and Woodhouse Lane, to the west by the existing leisure centre and to the south by healthcare buildings and the so-called "blue light road", used by police and ambulance vehicles.

Work began in July last year, with the first major step the creation of the deep foundations.

Then came the main pool, which is currently a shell made from reinforced concrete but will end up as a 25m-long (82ft) six-lane swimming bath, the floor of the deep end of which can be raised and lowered.

In recent weeks the steel frame for the building went up, along with a concrete emergency staircase, all part of phase one.

Phase two is now under way, with the second learner pool, a 20m-long (66ft) four-lane bath with a fully adjustable floor, and a changing room nearing completion.

It all "went well" despite poor winter weather and is slightly ahead of schedule, Nick says.

"We have had one of the wettest Decembers and Januarys I can remember."

Several hundred workers are expected to take part in the total construction, with up to 50 on site at peak times.

Local companies are being used as much as possible, with Stockton-based Hewitson doing the groundworks and SCH, from Newton Aycliffe, the steel work.

Ben Kelsey, senior project manager for Durham County Council, said boosting the "Durham pound" was a "key consideration" when appointing contractors.

"It's definitely an exciting project for all of us," Ben says.

There have been no surprises so far, Nick says, no "sinister" discoveries or interesting archaeological finds on the site, beside the moving of a large storm-water drain which had always been factored in.

The new leisure centre is set to open in the summer of 2027, with the old Woodhouse Close complex then to be demolished to make way for a car park and landscaped area.

Once complete, it will also house a library, gym, exercise studios, sauna, steam room, soft play area and cafe, as well as the two accessible swimming pools.

"There is quite an exciting buzz around the community," Nick says.

Workers going to nearby shops for their lunch are often asked how the project is progressing.

"There is a good vibe to it," Nick says.

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