Sunderland Council looking to appoint contractor for £11m leisure centre

The £11m (US$17.2m, €12.9m) redevelopment of a leisure centre in Sunderland, England is a step closer with council bosses considering the appointment of a new contractor for the scheme.

Pellikaan Construction, who specialise in designing and building sports facilities, are the preferred bidder for the replacement leisure centre, who councillors will be asked to appoint during a meeting on 19 June.

The proposed £11m construction, which will be built next to the current centre (which will be demolished upon completion of the new centre in 2015) will feature a six-lane 25m pool and a learner pool with two water slides, a four-court sports hall as well as sauna and steam rooms.

The funding was initially announced as part of a £60m (US$94m, €70.7m) capital programme by Sunderland City Council earlier this year, which has seen investment in new and improved sport and leisure centres in each of the five areas of Sunderland to ensure each area of the city has access to a pool, wellness centre and sports hall as a minimum.