Starter’s orders for work on £13m sports village
Spades sliced through turf to officially start work on a new sports and community village.
Representatives from Newark Athletic Club, Newark Town Football Club and RHP Football Club, dignitaries, and senior figures from the Nottinghamshire YMCA, which is behind the project, attended the ground-breaking ceremony.
Diggers are already on the site, between Elm Avenue and Bowbridge Road, Newark, moving tons of earth to allow work to start on the first phase, which should be completed by the end of October.
That would include an athletics track, a 3G all-weather community sports pitch, carpark, embankment works, and a temporary changing hub.
A permanent building with changing rooms is planned for the second phase.
A third phase will include a cycle track, skate park and tennis courts.
Although timescales for the second and third phases have not been confirmed, Nottinghamshire YMCA said it wanted to finish the project by September 2020.
The development is set to bring 80 jobs within three years of its opening, including full-time and seasonal staff.
Mr Craig Berens, director of operations and programmes at Nottinghamshire YMCA, said: “It is great to be involved in a project where the whole community can benefit.
“Newark has been waiting for this for a long time.
“It is not just in sport where people are going to see the benefits.
“There is space for further education, the arts, and other activities.”
“This is a £13m project — about £150 per person in Newark.
“It is a lot of money to raise and will be hard work for us.”
Mr Berens said he was excited about the YMCA Newark and Sherwood charitable organisation, which will put money back into the district.
Mr Gareth Bagguley, president of the athletic club, said the village would give more athletes an opportunity to excel in Newark.
“The big change for us will be having first-class field facilities,” he said.
“For example, if a young person wants to learn to pole vault you cannot do it without a pole vault.
“That side of the club will expand and we will see great results.
“We have managed to develop great talent with not-so-great facilities in the past. Now we want to give more opportunities.”
Mr Bagguley hopes the club will host a throwing academy (possibly including discus, javelin, hammer and shot put) when it uses the track.
Mr Chris Wade, chairman of the Newark Town FC, said: “I have been involved in this project for five years so to see diggers and earth being moved around is amazing.
“A lot is being done on the site where the pitches and earth will be. When it is complete it will be amazing.”
The Mayor of Newark, Mr Tony Roberts, said there was plenty to be optimistic about.
“You have got to see the culmination of the big plan.
“Close by we have the leisure centre and the new care centre, which have been popular — we have had to put more carparking spaces in the leisure centre.
“For a town the size of Newark to have these plans and have this much potential is encouraging.
“I know at the moment everyone is frustrated about the traffic problems, but that has been caused by essential work.
“There is an awful lot to be optimistic about.”
