WESTBURY’S new £750,000 Leigh Park Community Centre has been completed, with the facility preparing to open officially at the beginning of the New Year.
Builders finished work last week, and now local people who are forming a limited company, have taken over the building and are busy equipping it ready for its opening on the 7th January.
After over a decade of planning, the vision of a community centre for the Leigh Park estate has finally become a reality and John Rogers, of the new Leigh Park Community Centre (Westbury) Ltd, says he has not been disappointed.
“It’s absolutely fantastic,” he said. “I’ve been waiting 13 years for this and it’s above my expectations, they’ve really done a fantastic job. The main hall is tremendous, and we’ve got a really good commercial kitchen. It is very exciting to be at this stage.
“Everybody is so impressed. It’s so light and airy, it’s a beautiful hall with neutral colours and big windows.”
The group is now equipping the hall with items including chairs, tables, and curtains, in order to open as a fully functioning facility in the New Year. John said, “We’ve got about 18 groups wanting to hire it across the year, such as zumba, tai chi, pilates, and dancing, and I’ve got two wedding parties provisionally booked.”
Persimmon, who is the principal developer of the Leigh Park estate, has funded the construction of the centre as part of a section 106 planning agreement. The £750,000 centre is located near Tesco Express in Palomino Place.
The centre has a main hall space which can be subdivided into smaller separate rooms, office space for small meetings, a bar/lounge area, commercial kitchen facilties, and car parking. Cafe Chic, a cafe serving tea, filter coffee, light bites, cakes, and gluten-free and dairy-free options, will be open from 9.00am-4.00pm Monday to Friday.
You can find out more about the centre, its facilities, and how to book the hall at www.leighparkcommunitycentre.vpweb.co.uk
