The village will be a top-class venue to host sports like athletics, football, rugby, netball, basketball, badminton and roller hockey, plus fitness gym, studios and café facilities. It will include a polymeric 400 metre eight lane floodlit athletics track with spectator grandstand, a full sized all weather football pitch and four separate 5-a-side football pitches. A 250m Olympic-length velodrome is also planned as part of a future phase two.

The development is the latest phase of Middlesbrough’s transformation programme and will include a dedicated link road from Ladgate Lane to reduce traffic congestion on Marton Road and help with access and parking issues at The James Cook University Hospital.

Willmott Dixon recently delivered eight new schools for Middlesborough as part of its BSF programme and the Sports Village sees the company continue its work with the council to transform the town’s community infrastructure.

Willmott Dixon will now work alongside the architect Enjoy Design with completion set for Spring 2015. Procured through the Scape framework, Willmott Dixon will focus on the ‘local pound’ with a big emphasis on work going to companies within a 20 mile radius of the project.

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the North East said, “We have a strong local presence in Middlesbrough and our team are delighted to be back again creating something that will have a profound impact on the region’s future prosperity and growth. We recently won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for our work in sustainable development and much of that was recognition of the positive impact we bring to communities. We’re looking forward to adding to that record here.”