£7m World-Class Sporting Facility To Be Built In Perry Barr
A £7m Olympic specification training facility for gymnastics and martial arts will be built in Birmingham by summer 2008 following Cabinet approval last week.
The new facility, which will be based on a site next to the Alexandra Stadium in Perry Barr, will offer world-class facilities for people taking part in the sports and will be built to meet international gymnastic standards making it suitable to be used as an Olympic training facility and for hosting major competitions.
People of all ages and abilities will benefit from these facilities included a number of groups who will be relocated from Birmingham Sports Centre following its sale last year.
Gymnastic facilities will include floor space for rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, pommel horses, ring frames, asymmetric, low, parallel trampolines and horizontal bars. There will also be martial arts facilites providing a dojo and two further flexible martial arts combat area incorporating Judo, Aikido, Wrestling, Karate, Kendo, Ju-Jitsu and aerobics.
The building will be able to accommodate 450 spectators and will be built with features designed to reduce the energy need and the impact on the environment. It will include a number of 'green' elemenst including a 'living roof' made from planted materials which will provide additional insulation, wind catchers will provide natural ventilation and sun pipes to supplement the natural daylight in the building.
Cabinet Member for Leisure Sport and Culture, Cllr Ray Hassall said: "This is fantastic news for Birmingham residents. Not only will it provide a first-class facility for people in the city to use, it will be built to meet international gymnastic standards making it suitale as a training camp for one of the Olympic Games teams if required."
Work is due to start early summer 2007 and be completed by August 2008.
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