Visitors to Verulamium Park may have noticed a large building recently installed beside the Abbey View Community Athletics Track.
The structure, which has been relocated to the site and is currently awaiting conversion work, will become temporary changing rooms, toilets and support facilities for users of the track. It has been brought in to replace a former 1960s building that could no longer be used following the discovery of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete).
While this facility will provide a much-needed interim solution, the long-term ambition is to replace it with a permanent building on the site of the original changing rooms once funding and plans are in place.
Although the building currently retains the appearance of its previous life as a housing marketing suite, it will eventually be transformed with timber cladding and landscaping, as shown in the design images.
The new facility will provide:
Modern changing rooms
Proper plumbed toilet facilities
A safe and welcoming indoor space for athletes, volunteers and visitors
Improved accessibility and comfort for the many community groups using the track
The athletics track sits on the edge of Verulamium Park and is used by a wide range of local clubs, schools and community groups. The improved facilities will help support participation in sport and physical activity for years to come.
Work to connect services and complete the internal fit-out is expected to continue over the coming weeks.
We look forward to seeing the finished building become a valuable community asset alongside the park's growing range of recreational and sporting facilities, while also supporting the longer-term vision for a permanent replacement pavilion in the future.
Images: the building in its current form and architects' impressions of the completed facility.