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Forest Hill Pools
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admin
Administrator
Posts: 425
Joined: Dec 2002
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19-11-2010 04:25 PM
LBL press release today:
Construction contract awarded for new Forest Hill Leisure Centre
Work is expected to begin in January on building a new leisure centre in Forest Hill following the award of a construction contract to Willmott Dixon.
Roberts Limbrick Architects will work alongside Willmott Dixon to create the new complex with two new pools and other leisure facilities on the site of the former Forest Hill Pools. The existing Victorian frontage of Forest Hill Pools will be retained.
Facilities in the new building will include a 25-metre pool, a 16.7-metre learner pool, fitness gym, two studios, community room and a café. The new development will include facilities and access for those people with disabilities.
Councillor Alan Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “I am delighted that we are now able to move towards the next crucial stage of this long-awaited facility.
“Willmott Dixon made an excellent and detailed bid and I have complete confidence that the company will meet the challenges demanded by this complex structural engineering project. The company clearly understood the constraints of the site and have taken an innovative approach to their site set-up.”
Councillor Chris Best, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “This whole project has benefitted hugely from close collaboration and partnership.
“The final design was very much the result of a strong working relationship between the architects and the stakeholder group that was set up by the Council to liaise closely with residents. Together we found a solution that meets the needs of the local community and recognises the limited space available.”
“We have an excellent design provided by Roberts Limbrick Architects and now with Willmott Dixon on board we have an excellent construction company to build it.”
“The two companies will now work very closely together to deliver the new facilities. Willmott Dixon will start work on the site from January 2011 and we fully expect the leisure centre to be open to the public by the end of 2012.”
Mark Tant, Managing Director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We are delighted to be given the opportunity to create a fantastic new pool in Forest Hill. We’ve done a lot of work in recent years in Lewisham, such as Hither Green Primary School and Crossways Academy, and like those projects, we will aim to ensure our work benefits local businesses as much as possible through the sub contractors we use.”
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roz
Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
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20-11-2010 12:37 AM
Lets hope they can provide the revenue budget needed to run it. It would be good to see how this has been costed and whether LBL are able to keep this and the other Lewisham pools open.
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michael
Posts: 3,261
Joined: Mar 2005
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Tim Walder
Posts: 67
Joined: Mar 2008
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15-12-2010 10:49 AM
Wilmott Dixon were quite long in their presentation on how they are planning on reducing to zero by 2015 the stuff they send to landfill. Seemed laudable to me as building industry does create a lot of landfill. They were also keen to present themselves as a family business (not floated on stock exchange, shares in family hands, the current Chief Executive is fifth generation Wilmott) which was intriguing. A little more shaky on local employment: they do try to source direct labour or subcontractors within a thirty mile radius. It would be great if some of the workers could be Forest Hill people currently jobless and 30 miles casts the net wide for an urban location.
My only concern is that they may not have as much experience of restoring older buildings (like the frontage block). Their website does not showcase obvious examples of this that I could find. Hither Green Primary School was grotesque in design terms and an atrocity inflicted on a Victorian primary school, but I expect that was the architect's doing, not theirs. There was reassurance that the pools architects (Roberts Limbrick) continue to be involved throughout, so let's hope they look after the restoration part of things, which is still fairly unspecified.
Good news about Louise House (for the short term)
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NewForester
Posts: 379
Joined: Feb 2008
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16-12-2010 01:51 AM
Wilmott Dixon seem to be fairly busy locally anyway; they appear to be building the 'snail' near Sainsbury's in Bell Green and were also involved in the build of Watergate Primary School in Bellingham.
As you say, new build, not restoration.
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FHSoc
Posts: 134
Joined: Nov 2009
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19-01-2011 05:36 PM
Monday night's local assembly was told that the new leisure centre should hopefully open in September 2012, three months earlier than previously anticipated.
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Satchers
Posts: 262
Joined: Nov 2007
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19-01-2011 07:13 PM
Good news about the project starting on site.
Is it just me or does it seem that we've been informed its going to be three months early several times now? Well anyway, roll on September 2012.
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admin
Administrator
Posts: 425
Joined: Dec 2002
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22-02-2011 01:11 PM
LBL press release.
Building work begins at Forest Hill Leisure Centre
Building work on the new Forest Hill Leisure Centre has begun with the occasion being marked with a ground-breaking ceremony on 21 February.
Hosted and officiated by Mark Tant, Managing Director of building contractors Willmott Dixon, the ceremony was attended by Sir Steve Bullock, the Mayor of Lewisham, and Chris Best, Cabinet Member for Community Services.
Sir Steve said: “I’m delighted that we’re now at a stage when we’re going to start seeing some real results. A lot people have devoted much time and energy on this project and I’m very excited that building work is now about to begin.
“We are well on target to ensure the leisure centre is open to the public by the end of 2012.”
Chris Best added: “I’m grateful to Willmott Dixon for demonstrating a real commitment to building a strong relationship with the architects Roberts Limbrick and the local stakeholder group set up by the Council to liaise closely with residents.
“Willmott Dixon has made excellent progress since we awarded the contract to them in November. Not only have they moved quickly to prepare the site but they’ve also completed necessary remedial work on Louise House so the building can be used as their site office during construction. In the long term, both the Council and the local community stand to benefit when the building is handed back over because of the essential maintenance carried out.”
Mark Tant said: “We’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made so far and Louise House makes a fine site office. We’re off to a good start and we hope the local community think so too. We will continue to keep everyone informed with our progress both through our regular newsletters and through information posted up in Forest Hill Library.”
The new Forest Hill Leisure Centre will consist of two new pools and other leisure facilities on the site of the former Forest Hill Pools. Facilities in the new building will include a 25-metre pool, a 16.7-metre learner pool, fitness gym, two studios, community room and a café. The new development will include facilities and access for those people with disabilities. The existing Victorian frontage of Forest Hill Pools will be retained.
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Jon Lloyd
Posts: 151
Joined: Nov 2007
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22-02-2011 01:42 PM
While exciting, the ceremony hardly seemed 'ground-breaking'. Must admit I was fooled into reading the whole thing just for a mention of trapeze artists and Tuvan throat singers.
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shzl400
Posts: 729
Joined: Oct 2007
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23-02-2011 08:43 PM
Does Mark have a sister called Millie?
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)
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Foresters
Posts: 212
Joined: May 2006
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05-06-2011 06:19 PM
Living close to the construction site, there is plenty happening of interest as the project continues - but is there any information about how things are progressing?
A blog from the developers would be great - showing the day to day progress etc.
A bit nerdy perhaps, but it seems that now that it is all happening, there is no information at all. Or am I missing something.
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poolsneighbour
Posts: 162
Joined: Mar 2011
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roz
Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
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06-06-2011 03:49 PM
Regular updates are issued to the stakeholder group, which I still seem to be on. Perhaps some of the Forest Hill Society members on here could post them on se23.com? Or try the FHS website. I would assume that these are for forwarding on.
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brian
Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
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06-06-2011 08:40 PM
Great news Roz Prince Charles down for the official opening.
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Londondrz
Posts: 1,538
Joined: Apr 2006
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07-06-2011 08:27 AM
The entire Royal family..
and Roz up a high tower with a rifle
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Sherwood
Posts: 1,414
Joined: Mar 2005
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Satchers
Posts: 262
Joined: Nov 2007
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08-06-2011 01:06 PM
Back to the point of this thread. This is the most recent email that the stakeholder group have recieved about the progress on the pools.
Local residents will know more than the rest of us anyway since they should be recieving the Willmott Dixon newsletter mentioned below....
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Dear Stakeholder
We're now five months into the programme and work is progressing well at Forest Hill Pools.
Willmott Dixon are on target to complete the below-ground works in June. The building structure will start to go up from July, which is when the new centre will start to take shape.
Attached is the latest Willmott Dixon newsletter, sent to local residents this week, which provides more information on the progress to date.
We have started uploading pictures of the development site, if you follow the web link: http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/foresthillpools we have a dedicated flicker account which will document the building's progress, please take a look if you have the chance.
All the best,
Helen
Helen Ferguson
Project Manager
Programme Management & Property
London Borough of Lewisham
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Satchers
Posts: 262
Joined: Nov 2007
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08-06-2011 01:17 PM
The Forest Hill Society are also interviewing members of the pools design team for each edition of the quarterly newsletter. So if you are interested I suggest you join the society (for £5) and get a copy delivered straight to your doorstep.....
http://www.foresthillsociety.com/p/membership.html
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michael
Posts: 3,261
Joined: Mar 2005
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08-06-2011 01:53 PM
Thanks for the update Satchers.
Is it possible for you to attach the Willmott Dixon newsletter so that we can see it?
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poolsneighbour
Posts: 162
Joined: Mar 2011
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08-06-2011 02:04 PM
As a resident next to the pools.. I can advise that I have not received a newsletter since February/March.. so I think you guys are actually better informed!
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