Bransbury Park swimming pools take shape as contractors press on with £22m leisure centre project

Two swimming pools at a new multi-million pound leisure centre are starting to take shape as foundation work continues.

Despite the recent heatwave, construction is moving forward at Bransbury Park leisure centre, with the contractors, Willmott Dixon, excavating the site and working on laying the foundations for both the main 25m pool and the learner pool. In a Bransbury Park newsletter, Portsmouth City Council said both pools have now been dug out to their full width and depth, marking a major milestone in the project.

A thin layer of concrete has also been applied over the earth in the main pool to create an even area for the foundations. The team are now assembling steel reinforcement cages around the exposed rebar which will then be enclosed with shuttering before being filled with concrete to form the permanent structural supports.

The large-scale project, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of next year, will create a modern leisure centre complete with a 25m four lane pool, a learner pool, a gym, fitness studios, a GP surgery and a relocated play area, which has recently reopened to the public.

Costing an estimated £22m, the leisure centre will also have additional parking added to the existing car park located at the southeast corner of the field. In a previous bulletin, the council said the build is “currently on schedule”, with a temporary office block being established to make working at the site easier for the contractors over the next year.

Once complete, Bransbury Park will be operated by BH Live after it was confirmed earlier this year that the charity would extended its partnership with Portsmouth City Council for a further ten years.

Cllr Lee Hunt, cabinet member for sport, leisure and community Safety, previously said: “Extending our partnership with BH Live is another step forward in strengthening Portsmouth’s leisure and wellbeing offer. As a charitable trust, BH Live reinvests back into community services, and that aligns perfectly with our priorities.

“It’s a partnership that genuinely benefits local people.”

For more information about the progress of Bransbury Park, follow the updates.