A historic Nottinghamshire leisure centre which has stood empty since a new one opened in August is being demolished. Following a 2016 public consultation about future leisure services in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, it was decided that a brand new facility would open in the town.
Work on the new £15.5 million Kirkby Leisure Centre started in December 2020 and it officially opened back in August. Ashfield District Council now says that work to disassemble the old centre, Festival Hall, has started.
The land on which it sits, along Hodgkinson Road, will become a car park for the new leisure centre. It will have space for 95 cars, including disabled bays and six electric charging points.
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Ten cycle hoops and lockable cycle storage will also be located in the new car park, with work expected to be finished by the spring of 2023. Robert Docherty, the director for place and communities at Ashfield District Council, said: "The work to create the new car park at Kirkby Leisure Centre will mark the completion of this superb facility.
"Thousands of people have already visited the centre since its opening, and we hope many more will visit when the parking facilities are complete. We have been assured that disruption for residents will be as minimal as possible."
The demolition work at Festival Hall, which first opened in the 1930s, is being carried out by Kier. The demolition will involve the "careful disassembly" of the building followed by the crushing of materials into recycled aggregate, which will be used in the construction of the car park.
The main element of the demolition will last for 12 weeks, with work being carried out between 8am and 6pm. An official opening party was due to take place in September at the new Kirkby Leisure Centre, but this was postponed after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The event was due to feature celebrities including former Strictly Come Dancing professional Ola Jordan. An Ashfield District Council spokesperson said this event was now unlikely to take place until the car park works are complete.
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