Willmott Dixon’s local office in Cobham is set to deliver a £23 million leisure centre in Fleet, Hampshire, through Scape Group’s Major Works framework after it was granted planning permission.

Hart Leisure Centre is designed by GT architects and will provide Hart District Council with extensive facilities including three swimming pools, a 120 station gym, climbing wall, coffee shop, multiple sports pitches and a sports hall. The site is at the edge of a new country park that will be completed in 2017, the same year as the leisure centre, with the architectural design allowing it to blend seamlessly into the local habitat.

As with all projects, Willmott Dixon will ensure that the local economy benefits from construction work, with a target that 85% of suppliers are SME businesses, 75% of the construction contract value is delivered by SMEs and 75% of local labour is sourced within 40 miles of the site. The project is also set to provide 88 work experience placements for 15-17 years olds from the local area and the same number to those over 18, as well as facilitating 44 NVQs.

Since 2010 Willmott Dixon and Scape projects have delivered £593million worth of local investment, supported 38,494 young people through training and education with 100% of projects delivered in time and on budget.

Mark Robinson, Group Chief Executive of Scape Group:

“This project highlights just how versatile and creative our Major Works framework can be. Through our work Hart District Council has been able to respond to the increasing demand from their constituents for a diverse range of new community facilities, whilst working within a budget. Our partnership with Willmott Dixon has a track record of delivering outstanding projects which not only answer the immediate needs of our clients, but also have the broader focus of helping local authorities to build sustainable communities.

Roger Forsdyke, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the southern home counties, continued:

”We have our local office in nearby Cobham and given our team’s large presence in Surrey, we are really looking forward to cracking on and delivering a superb new leisure centre in Fleet.”