Work to create a new seafront park for the city will re-start today (September 11), beginning with the groundworks for the outside sports building.
Earlier this summer, work on the £13.7m Kingsway to the Sea project was paused to review how the project could be delivered within budget.
Working together
Since then, project officers, designers and construction partners have been working together to finalise detailed plans to keep the project on track, after rising construction costs and the current national shortages of materials and labour led to a funding gap of £3.7m.
This work has now been completed and early works to start construction of the outdoor sports hub, the longest phase of the project, can begin.
The next stage of the scheme will see work start on the wheeled sports area, starting in the Autumn. A full programme of the different phases will be available soon on the council’s website.
Great news!
Council Leader and Chair of the Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee, Bella Sankey said: “It is great news for the city that the project is now back underway and that we will have a brand-new public park with excellent sports facilities for the city's residents and visitors to enjoy.
“Our community-minded residents have inspired and led this project from the outset and worked closely with council officers at all stages to ensure we’re delivering what people want, as much as we possibly can.
“We have worked hard to overcome a number of setbacks and now we’re excited for the works to start ready for the 2024 summer season.”