Start date of community-centre revamp confirmed

A £550,000 revamp of Druridge Bay Community Centre is scheduled to begin soon, Northumberland County Council has confirmed.
The plans for the community centre.The plans for the community centre.
The plans for the community centre.

The Hadston community centre is to be transformed into a modern multi-purpose facility, complete with a gym and boxing centre, and will be delivered in two phases as part of the capital-works programme.

Phase one will involve the full internal refurbishment of the centre and will begin later this month. Phase two, due to commence later in the summer, will see the construction of a two-storey extension that will include a community gym on the ground floor and a first floor dedicated to the village's thriving boxing club.

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The new gym, to be managed by Active Northumberland, will be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art fitness equipment.

Local people helped to shape the plans and contributed ideas to the project, when they attended a consultation event in February.

The original proposal was to build an entirely new leisure centre but local people and the council recognised the potential to improve what was already there, giving local people a community centre to be proud of while also providing a permanent home for the local boxing club.

County councillor Scott Dickinson said: "This is a well-loved community centre, which local people clearly feel an affection for. So it's very exciting to be in a position where we can get to work on a project that will improve, modernise, and preserve the building for future generations.

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"The project has continued to evolve throughout our conversations with the community and local people made their preferences clear, when we went public with a range of options.

“The centre will be refreshed both inside and out and, together with the new extension, will provide a range of facilities and activities for the community to use, while also giving our local boxing club the permanent home that they deserve."

The project is due for completion later this year and is being delivered by architects Crawford Higgins. Plans are also being drawn up to enhance the green space on the former Druridge Bay Middle School site across the road.