Construction firm Morgan Sindall has started construction work on the replacement Queen's Park Sports Centre in Chesterfield.

The £9.5 million project, led by Chesterfield Borough Council, is on the Queen's Park Annexe site, in close proximity to the existing sports centre. The development is to be complete in early 2016.

Following a £2 million grant from Sport England, previously approved plans for the new centre will be expanded to provide additional activity space, including an eight lane swimming pool, larger learner pool, eight sports courts, additional studio space and spectator seating in the swimming pool and main sports hall. There will also be a new café and midwifery centre, along with enhanced changing facilities and an 80 station gym.

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At 5,129 square metres, the centre will take up less than half of the area of Queen's Park Annexe and will also allow currently unusable space such as a derelict seating area to be brought back into use as publicly accessible green space.

The current Queen's Park Sports Centre on Boythorpe Road will remain open until the new sports centre is complete and operational, while the existing tennis courts and bowling Green on the Annexe site will remain unaffected. Sport England is a funding partner of the sports centre as is Chesterfield College.

(CD/MH)