GREAT Sankey Leisure Centre will close for four months from the middle of July so that building work on the hub can be finished.

The steel frame and glass façade have recently been completed and the £16 million project is starting to take shape.

Work has also begun on plans to expand the car park and create a new access road from Lingley Green Avenue.

All indoor facilities will close in July until the new hub opens its doors this winter.

The tennis courts and 3G pitch will remain open.

Steve Reddy, deputy chief executive and director for families and wellbeing at Warrington Borough Council, said: “As with all large projects of this kind, there will be some disruption for existing leisure centre users during the building works, but I’m sure they will be delighted to see how well this project is progressing.

“Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub will improve the health and wellbeing of residents in west Warrington, delivering much needed services to the area, including state-of-the-art fitness and swimming facilities, health services, a library and a spa."

Emma Hutchinson, managing director of LiveWire, added: “We have worked hard with our contractor, BAM Construction, to keep the centre operational for as long as possible during such a large construction process, in order to minimise disruption for our customers.

“We have continued to run classes, provide an operational fitness suite, and facilitate group bookings for more than 12 months, but we cannot carry out some of the major renovation and demolition works to the existing building while it’s still open to the public.

“I would like to thank our customers in advance for their continued cooperation and patience during this development.”

The first phase of the 4,328 square-metre two-storey extension will include a café, library, fitness suite and retail space.

The second stage, due to open in spring 2018, will feature a spa, pools, sports hall and conference rooms.