Steely eyed focus for Sporting Village construction

Steel working has begun at the Basildon Sporting Village.

Over 1100 tonnes have been delivered onto site with the installation beginning on Wednesday.

Work on the piled foundations for the Basildon Sporting Village was completed in December where 621 piles were ‘bored'.

621 holes were then filled with concrete to the surface. Concrete pads have now been formed to give the bases that the steelwork for the building will be erected on.

Roofing is scheduled to start in May.

Councillor Kevin Blake, cabinet member for leisure and the arts says: "I am pleased that we will now start to see the building take shape. People visiting the park and driving past can see the steel coming out of the ground and start to see the scale of the Sporting Village.

This will be a fantastic facility for the people of Basildon and the whole region."

Councillor Stephen Castle, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Education and the 2012 Games said: "The progress on site is excellent and exciting to see. Despite the weather, the developer has managed to work efficiently. I look forward to seeing the building take shape throughout the year."

The Basildon Sporting Village will open in April 2011 and will be the best public sports facility in Essex. It will offer resident's from Basildon and across the county a 50 metre swimming pool able to split into two 25m pools in addition to a teaching pool, regional gymnastics centre, 8 court sports hall, fitness suite, exercise studios meeting rooms, crèche and cafe, climbing wall, floodlit five a side football pitches and a new athletics grandstand for 750 spectators.