The £22million Sunderland Aquatics Centre was officially opened, on schedule, in April 2008. Facilities at the centre include the North West Region's first 10-lane, 50m indoor pool with a moveable boom, a multi-purpose 25m 6 lane diving pool and a large, well-equipped, health and wellness club...

KKP worked closely with staff at the City Council on the specification, business, management and development plans and funding submissions for the facility.

The Centre is the first main outcome of the City's comprehensive sports facilities plan - also delivered by KKP. This contains a range of recommendations based primarily on ensuring appropriate levels of provision in each of the City's six regeneration framework areas.

Concurrently, the City has also appointed contractors to take forward swimming pool developments at Silksworth and Hetton - also part of the implementation of the plan.

The Aquatics Centre has been funded by Sunderland City Council, Sport England, European Regional Development Fund, One North East, TyneWear Partnership, Sunderland arc and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

At the official opening, and standing on the 5m diving platform, the then Sunderland City Council leader, Bob Symonds, said,

"As the region's first 50m pool and wellness centre and the only facility of its type between Leeds and Edinburgh, the Sunderland Aquatic Centre will provide first rate facilities for both the community and young athletes alike. "It's an excellent example of the superb sporting facilities we have here in the North East. We and our regional partners believe that it will be an ideal training venue in the run up to the 2012 Olympics."

For an independent view on this case study, please contact Paul Dobson (Director of community and Cultural Services) of Mike Poulter (Head of Project & Service Development) at Sunderland City Council
Mike.Poulter@Sunderland.gov.uk