Work Set to Start on Worcester Arena in New Year
Friday, 16 December 2011
The University Worcester has announced that contractors will start work in January to create a multi-million-pound new arena for Worcester and the wider region.
From the very first day of opening the £15m Worcester Arena will become a national centre of excellence for disability sport, designed to be fully inclusive and building on the work of the University across a host of disability sports, including wheelchair basketball and blind football.
Professor David Green, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Worcester, said: “The Worcester Arena will provide outstanding new opportunities to engage in sport. Inclusive by design, it will become ‘home from home’ for many athletes with a mobility impairment as well as the University’s long standing, much acclaimed Learning Through Sport programme for children.”
Mick Donovan, Head of the University’s Institute of Sport and Exercise Science, added: “The Arena will become a centre of excellence for disability sport, as well as a first-class venue for able-bodied athletes, capable of hosting major international tournaments, specialist training sessions and community events. It will also become the new home of BBL side Worcester Wolves.”
Contractors Willmot Dixon, selected after a highly competitive process, will move on to the former fruit and vegetable market site in Hylton Road, Worcester, at the beginning of the New Year.
Their work and the high specification fit out will be complete by the end of January 2013. Construction of the Arena will provide employment for over 250 and 300 trades people, many of whom will be local to Worcester. Once open, the University is aiming to generate a multi-million pound turnover at the Arena creating dozens of new part-time and full-time jobs.
The Worcester Arena was one of only six national projects to receive funding from Sport England’s Iconic Facilities Olympic legacy fund, with a grant of £1.5m. The campaign also attracted generous grants from The Trustees of the Foundation for Sport and the Arts (£250,000), England Basketball (£375,000), England Badminton (£200,000) and Herefordshire philanthropist Clive Richards (£25,000). More than £70,000 has also been raised from individual, family and team donations. The University, which is continuing to actively fund-raise for the Arena, has guaranteed to meet the outstanding balance through drawing on its long term commercial loan facility provided by Barclays Bank.
The 5,300 m2 Arena is capable of hosting major indoor sports events, with retractable seating provided for 2,000 people and excellent television infrastructure. It will provide important sports teaching facilities to complement the facilities already at the University’s St John’s Campus as well as those within the adjacent Riverside building.
Located midway between the University’s St John’s Campus and City Campus, the Arena will have good pedestrian and cycle links which are to be enhanced with further improvements to the road junction and crossing arrangements.
There will be excellent coach drop-off facilities and cycle parking and discussions are underway to improve bus links along the Hylton Road. Car parking will be available on the University’s immediately adjacent Riverside site.
The University will be creating a special wall to celebrate the Worcester Arena and the community’s passion for sport. Members of the community, businesses, sports clubs and other organisations are invited to buy a brick to ensure their name or company name and message is forever part of the Worcester Arena and marking their commitment to grass roots sport, the City, County and region.
For more information visit www.worcesterarena.com
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