Wokingham Borough residents heading down to the Carnival Pool this summer will see lots happening on site as work to lay the foundations for the new car park and leisure unit is well underway.
Cllr Mark Ashwell, executive member for planning and regeneration, said: “It’s really exciting seeing things happening. We are currently installing the pile foundations ready for the new building to start going up later this year.
“Given the location of the site and the proximity of houses and businesses we felt it warranted a careful approach. This piling solution allows us to drill and backfill all at once, rather than using a more standard driven piling approach, as it has far less impact on the surrounding area and is quieter and cleaner.”
Since starting on site in June, contractor Balfour Beatty has completed the initial groundworks. This has included diverting drainage and relocating utilities, securely hoarding off the area, further surveys including archaeology, and digging out the area where the new bowling alley will be located.
Pile installation is expected to be completed later this summer, with Balfour Beatty pouring the concrete slabs and erecting the new stair and lift cores from October. This will allow the steel frame to start going up, towards the end of the year.
“We’re really keen on keeping people up-to-date with what’s happening on site, both at the Carnival Pool and across the other regeneration projects. We’ve now set up a delivery section on the Regeneration Company website to share the latest programme and progress information,” Cllr Ashwell added.
“People can go here to view the latest news and photos from the regeneration team and, in the coming months, will be able to view the first videos from the new time-lapse camera which has been installed to record progress throughout the project.”
Work on the new car park is expected to be completed by April next year with the new leisure unit opening in the summer.
Further information about the council’s town centre regeneration projects can be found on the Regeneration Company website.
