Construction of new Sandwell Aquatics Centre starts ahead of 2022 Commonwealth Games

The new £73 million Commonwealth Games Aquatics Centre will create a “lasting legacy” for Sandwell, a minister has said.Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, visited the Smethwick site on Thursday as construction of the new centre got underway.The venue, which is currently being built off Londonderry Lane, will host the swimming and diving events during the Commonwealth Games, which will be staged between July 27 and August 7 2022. It is the only new venue being built for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.Post-competition, the aquatics centre will become an important leisure facility for residents in Smethwick and the wider Sandwell area for years to come.The facility will include a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool, as well as a 25m diving pool, community swimming pool and permanent seating for 1,000 people, with additional seating being brought in for the Commonwealth Games. Additional facilities will include a dry dive area, activity studios, sports halls, a fitness suite. There will also be a football pitch and an urban park on the site.Work on the facility is expected to be completed in spring 2022. After the Commonwealth Games, further work will be done on the site, before it opens its doors to the public in 2023, when it will be operated by the Sandwell Leisure Trust.