Work on £18m leisure site ploughs ahead

Work is ploughing forward on the creation of an £18 million leisure, health and social care centre that is creating 12 new jobs.

Portway Lifestyle Centre will bring together leisure, health and social care under one roof in a state-of- the -art new centre in Oldbury.

The project is a joint scheme between Sandwell Council and Sandwell Primary Care Trust and is due to open its doors next summer.

Sammy Sidhu, from Thomas Vale, said the first stage of works have now been completed on the new centre.

These include demolition of the buildings and soil stabilisation works. She said: "The two mine shafts on site have now been capped off and works on them have now been completed.

She added: "Thomas Vale is now currently in the process of constructing a stabilised foundation ready for the steel frame and the remaining building works to be completed."

Facilities at the centre will include a four-court sports hall, climbing wall, dance studio, gym and full-sized, all-weather sports pitch. There will also be a hydrotherapy pool, a café and a GP surgery.

Sandwell Leisure Trust, which manages sport and leisure facilities and sports development in the borough, will be creating 12 new jobs with the scheme on the site of the former Oldbury Leisure Centre.

A community group has also been set up to advise on its design and services.

The council and Sandwell PCT are working on the scheme with Sandwell LiftCo, a partnership of private and public sector organisations which invests in major health and social care projects. Sport England also gave the scheme £1.5m of National Lottery funding.