Fresh concrete applied to Bransbury Park swimming pool as multi-million pound project advances

Fresh concrete blinding has been applied to part of the main swimming pool at a £22m leisure centre project.

Progress is coming on leaps and bounds at the Bransbury Park construction site as contractors, Willmott Dixon, continue working on the leisure centre’s foundations and two swimming pools.

In a newsletter bulletin update, provided by Portsmouth City Council, it said a fresh layer of concrete has been applied to the main pool, creating a dry, level surface.

The pilings that have been put in place below the pool and the concrete will hold the structure securely in place as the groundwater level changes in the park throughout the seasons.

The balance tank structure, which will temporarily store and regulate changes in water volume for the main pool and learner pool, is being installed. The tank also forms the pools' filtration and circulation systems, ensuring water can be efficiently cleaned.

Hoardings, featuring pictures created by year 4 students at Milton Park Primary School, are also going up at the site. The Portsmouth City Council’s contractors, Signshop, are putting the finishing touches to the hoarding over the coming days but part of it is already up to view.

The large-scale project, which is expected to be complete by the end of next year, will create a state-of-the-art 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.