New images released of £26m seafront leisure centre as opening date pushed back

The target opening date of Great Yarmouth’s new £26m leisure centre complex has been pushed back to 2022.

Officials say work will start this autumn, affecting the timeframe to complete the project.

The update, on Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s website, came as hoardings went up at the Golden Mile site tracing the resort’s holiday history and featuring new images of the build.

It is the second time the project to build a new water and leisure complex on the landmark site has been delayed.

Originally council bosses said it would be ready by summer 2021, pushing it back to winter next year after the discovery of asbestos.

The new leisure facility, set to take the same Marina Centre name, is billed as once-in-a-generation opportunity.

It will be around a third of the size of the previous facility with curling water slides and a splash pad fun park.

The old centre closed in October 2019 and the site has been completely levelled, opening up views to the beach not seen for 40 years and creating a tourist attraction in itself.

WATCH: See inside new £26m seafront leisure centre with virtual reality tourAs well as trumpeting the new leisure centre that will soon be taking shape behind them, the hoardings will act as a blank canvas for artists looking to make their mark, the authority said.

The council is decorating the Marine Parade frontage with a 185m artwork wrap showcasing the resort of yesteryear and things people can do and see today.

Meanwhile, along the beachside frontage the ambition is to commission a local artist to work with the community to create an exhibition which could potentially be used within the new centre.

An artist dubbed “Yarmouth’s Banksy” has already added his works to the hoardings.

Carl Smith and Trevor Wainwright, leaders of the main political groups, tagged it an “exciting project mileston,” adding: “Despite the additional challenges of Covid-19, which unavoidably impacted the availability of hoarding boards, the council’s project team has done incredibly well to keep everything moving forward. Currently, the council is progressing procurement on the construction contract award and we are aiming for start on site this autumn.

Earlier this year the guidance was that contractors aimed to be on site by July.

According to the borough council’s website the target opening date has now been revised to 2022.

Any artists are asked to contact julia.devonshire@great-yarmouth.gov.uk