Construction starts on sports project

YOUNG footballers joined construction workers and local councillors to mark the start of work to create new �1.5m sports facilities in Lowestoft yesterday.

YOUNG footballers joined construction workers and local councillors to mark the start of work to create new �1.5m sports facilities in Lowestoft yesterday.

The facilities, which are being developed at Barnard's Meadow, will be the first stage of work to create a new sports and education campus in the town.

When completed, the pitches, changing rooms and on-site classroom will be used by local sports teams and students from the proposed new sixth-form centre which will be built alongside Lowestoft College.

Part of the grass playing fields at Barnard's Meadow, which is off Peto Way, will be turned into a full-size all-weather floodlit pitch and a new pavilion will be built to house four sets of changing rooms, a caf�, clubroom and classroom for on-site lessons.

A new access road is also going to be created from Barnard's Way on to a new car park.

Graham Newman, Suffolk County Council's portfolio holder for children, schools and young people, said: 'It is great to see the first stage of this project take a step forward. This will be a real asset to the sixth-form college and both will be very important for Lowestoft.'

The new sports facilities are set to open in spring 2010.