Council leader views progress of new leisure centre and bus station
Published: 7 October 2019
Council Leader Phil Bialyk has been given a tour of the city’s emerging new state-of-the-art leisure complex in the city centre.
St Sidwell's Point - the UK’s first super energy efficient leisure complex - is being built by Kier at the bus station site. A brand new bus station with modern facilities is being built next to the new leisure complex.
Both projects are being funded by the City Council, and are due to open in the Spring of 2021.
The council leader was given a tour of the site by senior project managers, and saw the pool boxes which are being formed by ground workers at the Heavitree end of the site.
During October the main pool box is expected to be completed, and the splash pool and learner pool will be formed. The piling rig is expected to return to site shortly, to start the foundation piles under the new bus station.
Cllr Bialyk heard about the precise attention to every detail in the process. St Sidwell’s Point will be one of the world’s most energy efficient leisure centres, built to the Passivhaus standard.
Cllr Bialyk said: “I was hugely impressed with what I saw on site. This is a major project which will benefit everyone in the city. I am delighted with the excellent progress being made, and I really can’t wait for the day when we open these much-needed new facilities for the people of Exeter.”
Doug Lloyd, Operations Director, Kier, who took part in the tour, said: “This is a very prestigious development in the city centre, and the team were delighted to demonstrate the excellent progress we have made on site so far.
“This is the first leisure complex in the UK to be built to the highly energy efficient Passivhaus standard, designed to save up to 70% on annual energy costs. To achieve this, we have committed to a comprehensive training and upskilling programme to our local labour force and supply chain to meet the stringent specification.”
The state-of-the-art leisure complex includes:
- A main swimming pool and learners pool with moveable floors
- A confidence water pool
- A 100 seat spectator seated area
- A café to seat 50
- A fitness gym and two fitness studios
- A health suite and spa facility
- A children’s soft play area
The water quality is also expected to be better than at any other pool in the country. A special filtration system will mean there will be minimal chemical content, which will greatly enhance the experience for users.
The building has been modelled to withstand the effects of climate change over the next 80 years.