Barr Construction wins £20 million leisure centre project

Barr Construction has been awarded the £20 million contract to build Irvine’s new leisure centre, creating a single venue for sports, cultural events and exhibitions in the centre of the Ayrshire town.

Leisure specialist contractor Barr Construction will start work in March on a specially designed facility to replace the Magnum Leisure Centre, built in the 1970s.

This will be one of the final projects delivered under the Barr Construction banner following the recent merger with McLaughlin & Harvey.

The new facility will feature a main pool, a teaching pool, six-court sports hall, studios, a state-of-the-art fitness suite and both wet and dry changing areas. Both pools will have a viewing area at mezzanine level for spectators.

An existing Grade B Listed town house will be integrated into the new facility and Barr Construction will restore and refurbish the property to compliment the leisure centre by installing a reception area, offices, research and creative rooms. The facility will also include a function hall and exhibition areas.  

Barr will provide a range of community benefits during the project to include recruiting local apprentices and offering additional support and work placements to young people who want to get involved in the industry.

The team will also work closely with North Ayrshire Council and the schools to hone the employability of pupils by holding mock job interviews and running workshops in science, maths and technology in schools.

Paul Griffen, construction director at Barr Construction said: “This is an important project for Irvine and we are extremely proud to be playing such a significant role in delivering a first-class sport and leisure facility.

“The Barr Construction team is always fully committed to helping the community we work in. We’re looking forward to working with local apprentices during the course of the programme and I’m confident the new leisure centre will be a fantastic and well-used resource in the local area.”

Irvine Leisure Centre is set to open its doors in January 2017.