West Lothian Council has taken ownership of the newly completed £16m Winchburgh Sport & Wellbeing Hub.

The new sports hub, which was completed on budget and earlier than anticipated, will be home to a state-of-the-art fitness suite; gymnasium and fitness/dance studio; two full sized sports halls; a six lane swimming pool; a full-sized grass sports pitch and two synthetic pitches suitable for hockey, football and rugby, car parking and drop-off.

The Council will maintain the building and all schools in Winchburgh will use the facility, including Holy Family Primary, Winchburgh Primary, Sinclair Academy and Winchburgh Academy.

Lawrence Fitzpatrick, Leader of West Lothian Council said: "I'm astounded by the quality of the facilities here in Winchburgh and delighted that the buildings are now being completed and handed over to us. The impact of the growth and development here in Winchburgh is going to have a positive impact on the local community for generations to come.

"Many years ago, Winchburgh was designated one of West Lothian's Core Development Areas. What we wanted to achieve was to create a place where people wanted to call home and alongside that bring growth, economic prosperity, improvements to infrastructure, and provide first class learning and leisure facilities for young people. A number of partners are involved in such a mammoth project and West Lothian Council has delivered these tremendous new educational facilities for the young people of Winchburgh."

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The Winchburgh Sport & Wellbeing Hub will be open for school use from the start of the school term in August 2022, with access for the general public on track for January 2023. West Lothian Leisure (WLL) will manage community access to the facilities.

It is expected that from October, West Lothian Leisure (WLL) will manage community access to the facilities, beyond the time that they are required for curricular and extra-curricular use (i.e. lets for clubs, groups, community organisations etc). From January 2023 onwards, access to facilities and related services will begin to be opened up to the general public, on both a membership and pay-per-visit basis. The facility will be financially viable and will be delivered on a full cost recovery basis in terms of community use.

Dr Elaine Cook, West Lothian Council's Depute Chief Executive said: "First and foremost this is a facility for the schools and the pupils which means that not all facilities/services at the hub will necessarily be available to the general public all of the time. However the community will also be able to make use the fantastic facilities in the near future."

Scott Brown, Project Director for Hub South East, added: "We're proud to have successfully delivered the new Sport and Wellbeing Hub ahead of schedule so pupils can begin to use the new state of the art facilities in the new academic year. This Hub will be a fantastic asset for local pupils and in due course the wider Winchburgh community."

"We're proud to be entrusted to deliver the Winchburgh Schools project, West Lothian Council's largest investment in education, and look forward to handing over the final building in this exciting new campus, Sinclair Academy, in the coming months."

David Ewing, Managing Director of Morrison Construction Building Central, said: "We are delighted to have partnered, once again, with West Lothian Council and Hub South East to deliver this high-quality facility which will be enjoyed by pupils and the community alike for years to come."