BAM chosen to build new Five Acres leisure, enterprise and education facility

BAM has been appointed by the Forest of Dean District Council to develop and build a new leisure, enterprise and education facility at Five Acres in Gloucestershire.

BAM was appointed through the Southern Construction Framework to deliver the new facilities which are intended to improve the health and well-being of local residents and increase the number of visitors coming to the area. 

The project will be completed in phases, with the initial phase focusing on the construction of a new multi-purpose four-court sports hall and performance space, complete with party rooms, dressing rooms and changing rooms. The existing Speedwell building will also be repurposed to create dry side sports and leisure facilities. 

Artist impression

Justin Price, Construction Director at BAM, said:

“We’re incredibly excited to be chosen as the contractor for the design and build of the new facilities at Five Acres. 

We are aware of how much Five Acres means to the residents of the Forest of Dean and we’ll be holding several engagement events in the coming months so that we can discuss the plans for the build in detail with people from across the district.

At BAM we are committed to working with local businesses wherever possible and we can’t wait to work with partners and the community to develop these incredible facilities for the residents of the Forest of Dean.”

Cabinet Member for Levelling Up, Councillor Johnathan Lane, said: “Since taking control of the site in early 2022, the Council have been hard at work ensuring that the initial demolition of buildings on the site, as well as the design and planning of the new facility were completed on time and with the engagement of the local community, organisations and sports clubs.

We’re now really excited to move on to the next stage of the project, appointing BAM to bring the design and build to fruition and to deliver the quality facilities needed by people in the local community.

I’d like to thank those who have been involved with the Five Acres and Levelling Up project so far and look forward to the next stage of this journey, working collaboratively with partners to deliver the best possible facilities for the Forest of Dean.”

Forest of Dean District Council, leading design consultants Pick Everard and build contractors BAM will work together with residents to establish the final design plans for Five Acres before a planning application is submitted and construction can begin.