WORK on Wyre Forest’s new multi-million pound leisure centre is sprinting ahead on the former British Sugar site at Silverwoods.

On Tuesday (September 29) councillors, business members and local school children gathered to mark the construction reaching its highest point by planting a birch tree.

The new £11.9 million state-of-the-art centre, which will be designed, built, operated, and maintained by Places for People Leisure after they were awarded a 25-year contract, will include a six-lane 25m swimming pool, learner pool, dance studios, sports hall, climbing wall, fitness suite and small outdoor football pitches.

A café with viewing facilities, a children’s play area, a health suite equipped with sauna and steam room and free parking will also be available.

The council were also awarded £2 million of National Lottery funding from Sport England, towards the construction.

Construction started on the site in June this year and is progressing well, in preparation for a summer 2016 opening.

Those in attendance on Tuesday to mark the highest point included pupils from Birchen Coppice Primary School, representatives from Wyre Forest District Council, Places for People Leisure, Pellikaan Construction, Sport England and Roberts Limbrick architects.

Pellikaan builder, Malcolm Young, from Kidderminster, planted the birch tree at the highest point of the construction during the ceremony.

Celebrating the moment a new building reaches its topmost point with a tree planting is an old age tradition to bestow good luck on it. When the building is complete, the tree will be planted in the grounds surrounding the centre as part of the landscaping scheme.

Councillor Marcus Hart, leader of Wyre Forest District Council, said: “We are delighted to see our important project meet this milestone in the build. Thank you to everyone who has helped us to reach this point.

“There is a lot of change and development happening in the district and this project is leading the way.

“The new centre will bring more fantastic leisure opportunities for the community in a modern, energy efficient building. It will also save the council and tax payers money.

“It does not seem too long ago, 20 weeks ago, when we were all stood at the site for a ceremony to bury the time capsule.

“I have not driven down here to since that day, as I wanted to wait until now to see the fantastic progress that has been made.

“The concept of the slopped roof and circular part of the building will really stand out from the main road.”

It is estimated the new leisure centre will save the district council more than £390,000 a year. The savings will be achieved because the new centre will be more sustainable and the contractor will be paying the council a management fee to run the facility.

Peter Kirkham, development director at PfPl, said: “In partnership with Wyre Forest District Council we have worked hard to develop this project into what it is today.

“Now that construction has reached the highest point, the local community is one step closer to having a state-of-the-art leisure facility.

“We are confident when the facility opens, it will exceed all expectations and we will have created an environment in which the members of the local community can come and confidently engage in high quality leisure activities.

“Wyre Forest residents are going to be proud of this development and we are expecting 600,000 visitors a year to the centre.”

Steve Welch, relationship manager at Sport England, said: “We are delighted to support Wyre Forest District Council in their investment into community sport by contributing £2 million of lottery grant funding.

“The range and quality of the facilities in this new centre are extremely impressive and Sport England are looking forward to seeing open next year – it will be a fantastic benefit to the local community.”

The opening of the new leisure centre will see the closure of Kidderminster’s Wyre Forest Glades Leisure Centre and Stourport Sports Centre, while Bewdley Leisure Centre will remain open.

For more information visit wyreforestdc.gov.uk/newleisurecentre.

To view a gallery of pictures from the ceremony, click here.