PROJECT PROFILE
NEWFORGE SPORTS COMPLEX & EVENT HUB, BELFAST
SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL COHESION ARE AT THE HEART OF A COMPLEX PROJECT FOR MAIN CONTRACTOR OHMG… A SHARED SPACE SUPPORTING PEACE AND RECONCILIATION
Newforge Sports Complex & Event Hub is a £5.8m shared space development, located on the 16-hectare site of a former police sports centre in South Belfast. The visionary project was conceived by Newforge Community Development Trust (NCDT) with the aim of transforming a once-restricted facility into a community space supporting peace and reconciliation throughout Northern Ireland and the cross-border region. Facilitating co-existence between cross- community, youth and sports clubs, schools, churches, locals and members of the security, emergency and armed forces across the island, it is aiming to achieve Disability Sport NI’s Inclusive Sports Facility Excellence mark. OHMG was appointed as main contractor for the complex project, which required
the Newforge Country Club to remain operational throughout the works. Support from the EU’s PEACE IV Programme was matched-funded by the NI Department for Communities and Irish Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland, with £1m also coming from Sport NI’s Multi-Facility Fund. Commencing in April 2021 and completing in February 2024, the 5,286sqm space comprises a shared reception, large twin- court sports hall with dividing curtain, fitness suites, treatment and changing rooms, multi-purpose spaces, refreshment area, office and conference rooms, parking and landscaping. Sustainability and social value targets have been a focus throughout the works, with OHMG setting its sights on the installation of renewable technologies and exceeding
its social value goals by achieving a buy- social target of over 350%. OHMG’s environmental management plan implemented throughout the works extended from controlling noise, mud and dust to retaining trees and protecting nesting birds, bats and the insect population. The works extended as far as the busy Lagan Towpath, on which wildlife surveys were conducted before works could start. Accredited to the ISO 14001/14064 standard for verifying emissions, the complex features a high level of insulation and air tightness, solar panels and systems for passive cooling and sustainable drainage. A site waste management plan, meanwhile, diverted 93% of waste from landfill. The project scored a high 41/45 in the Considerate Constructors Scheme,
“OHMG is very proud of the finished product, and to see it being used so much is a testament to the Newforge Community Development Trust.”
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