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Published: Fri 27th October, 2023
Loughborough Town Deal has welcomed the official opening of SportPark Pavilion 4 on Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP).
Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport and one of Britain’s most decorated female Olympians of all time and the first British woman to win medals at five successive Olympic Games, cut a ribbon to mark the opening of the £9 million expansion.
The Town Deal has also been able to invest in the facility through the Healthy and Innovative Loughborough project which aims to build on the town’s reputation for sporting excellence and harness that knowledge for the good of residents.
Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Chair of Loughborough Town Deal Board, said: “Loughborough is synonymous with elite sport and that’s why the Town Deal Board was keen to support this project.
“SportPark is an outstanding asset to have in the town and it brings many benefits to the local economy and communities.
“The Town Deal Board is already delivering for Loughborough, and this is another outstanding project which has brought investment into the area.”
The Healthy and Innovative Loughborough project is led by Loughborough University and as well as supporting SportPark Pavilion 4, it will also help new businesses get off the ground and support entrepreneurs. The project will also introduce a programme of interventions to help local people improve their health and create an Impact Hub to assess and analyse the health of the town to help plan for future developments and improvements.
The project was awarded £2.5 million from Loughborough Town Deal which secured £16.9 million from the Government’s Towns Fund. It is backing 11 projects which in total are worth more than £40 million of investment for the town.
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portPark Pavilion 4 has also been supported by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) as part of the Getting Building Fund. Funds were designated for investment in local, shovel-ready infrastructure projects to stimulate jobs and support economic recovery across the country.
Andy Reed OBE, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership chair said: “Funding support for SportPark Pavilion 4 has helped to deliver a superb building that is also highly sustainable – a key pillar of the regional economic growth strategy.
“The investment has created jobs and brought further leading sports organisations to base themselves here in Loughborough, adding to its reputation for collaboration and innovation.”
Dame Katherine Grainger said: “SportPark’s vision was to inspire and connect people from different organisations, united by the same energy, passion and belief that through sport, we can do better, we can be better, and we can achieve extraordinary things.
“It’s wonderful to be part of that community at Loughborough, where chance introductions and conversations can produce exciting, unpredictable, and incredible results.
Alex Owen, Chief Financial Officer of Loughborough University and executive lead for the development of LUSEP, said: “SportPark Pavilion 4 has been superb team effort which sets the benchmark for the sustainable development of the University campus.
“SportPark’s expansion will further strengthen the vibrant ecosystem, enabling us to welcome even more sports organisations and businesses seeking to collaborate with LUSEP’s wider innovation community, the University’s world-leading sport-related research capabilities, facilities, performance base and living lab of athletes.
“And together, we can drive forward new research in the University’s strategic theme areas, sport, health and wellbeing, vibrant and inclusive communities and climate change and net zero.”
SportPark Pavilion 4 is Loughborough University’s first Passivhaus development which is widely regarded as the most challenging energy efficiency and comfort standards in the world.
The Town Deal Board involves representatives from Charnwood Borough Council, Loughborough University, Loughborough College, Love Loughborough, Leicestershire County Council, the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, Charnwood Together Economy and Skills Group, local businesses and Loughborough MP Jane Hunt.
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