Work on the £3million Creswell Heritage and Wellbeing Centre is progressing well, despite the contractors building the new centre going into administration.
Due to rising costs, Woodhead Construction announced on Thursday 15 September 2022 that they were going into administration and pulled out of the site, plunging the new centre into doubt.
But your local Labour District Council stepped in and took quick decisive action to save the project.
The Council took the decision to take over the project, along with a number of other house building sites, to ensure the projects that were promised are delivered.
Local Labour Councillor for Elmton-with Creswell, Duncan McGregor said, “We had made a commitment to our parishioners that they would get a new heritage and wellbeing centre and we are honouring that commitment.
“Unlike the Tory Government who cannot seem to make a decision and stick to it, we can and will deliver the new centre. Stopping the building process and waiting for a new contractor to be found was not an option as it would have caused delays of months, even years.
“The decisive action we took only cost us a couple of weeks in the build process as we had to engage with the sub-contractors and reassure them that the project was still going ahead. I am delighted that work is now continuing as scheduled and it proves that your local Labour party is working in the best interests of the local communities we represent.”
The centre which will comprise of a 27-station gym, two-court badminton sports hall, climbing wall and caving experience, soft play, exercise studio and café. Work on the new centre is due to be complete in early 2023.
Council Leader, Steve Fritchley said “Once we learned the contractor was to cease trading we took swift and decisive action to ensure our assets were protected and we could continue to deliver what we had set out to do.
“I am a big believer in the Council being in control of its own destiny so we are putting into place plans to ensure we have more control of our future residential and commercial projects.”