LOOK out Westminster Lodge leisure centre – there will soon be a new kid on the block.

Work has started on a new multi-million pound indoor sports complex at Sandringham School on The Ridgeway, St Albans, which will offer its state-of-the-arts facilities to the community outside of school hours.

Building a new sports centre has been a long-term aim at Sandringham and the school was able to secure a significant central government grant towards the cost of the scheme.

Further support has come from Herts county council and Sandridge parish council with the school raising the remaining funds itself.

The new building will cater for a wide range of sports including badminton, volleyball, indoor cricket, short tennis, trampolining, basketball and five-a-side football.

In addition to the large main sports hall, there will be a weights fitness room, a large semi-sprung multi-purpose suite for aerobic activities and new changing areas.

Sandringham will be keeping its indoor swimming pool, existing gymnasium and dance studio, making it a complete sports complex.

A group of students have been selected to work on the project together with staff from the school, Property Tectonics have designed the new building and T&B Construction will carry out the building works.

Headteacher Alan Gray said: “This is a key development of the school site and will enable the school to meet the sporting needs of young people for many years to come.

“It will provide first-class facilities to enable participation in a wide range of sports, further improving standards of performance at all levels.”

Mr Gray added: “This follows on from our new sixth-form block as we continue to provide the very best educational environment for young people at Sandringham.

“It will also expand the facilities available for community use and I look forward to seeing many local people taking advantage of the new sporting environment in the future.”

The project is due for completion at the end of September and it will be open for community use later in the autumn term. Anyone interested in discussing booking the facilities should contact Julia Shaw at the school.