Wigan sports facility's £6m upgrade for Warriors move approved

The Warriors are set to transfer to the Robin Park Arena, located outside the DW Stadium, where the Super League team plays its home fixtures.

Other news: Brother's tribute crusade award in memory of his schoolgirl sisterThe town hall has approved plans to build an extension to the front of the building that will create a new lobby, reception, auditorium and classroom facilities.

The club’s administrative and community operation is also set to move into the revamped Arena.

Included in the plans submitted by the council is development of the adjacent Robin Park Sports Centre with two extensions that will create sauna and steam room facilities.

The Arena will become the Warriors’ base for their training and education programmes but the public will continue to have full use of its facilities, which include an indoor running track.

The move – that will see Warriors take on the lease – will reduce the council’s subsidy and maintenance costs for the facility, the town hall has said.

It is part of a £6m scheme to improve facilities at the borough’s largest leisure hub.

Speaking when the funding was unveiled earlier this year, Coun James Moodie, lead member for leisure and public health, said: “As part of The Deal for Health and Wellness, we are committed to providing more opportunities to help residents get active and healthy in their local communities.

“That’s why we are making a significant investment in our communities to develop our brilliant leisure facilities.

“Research shows that removing the physical barriers to exercise can have massive benefits to the NHS by preventing people getting ill later on in life.”

The application – approved by council officers earlier this month – includes ‘two temporary modular buildings’, one for each site, that will help mitigate the impact of refurbishment works during the overhaul.

Wigan Warriors’ current training facility is at Edge Hall Road in Orrell and its community and administrative base is at the Central Park hub in Pemberton, with the latter to be taken over by borough leisure provider Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles.