A LONG-awaited £6.3miionPitsea swimming pool has been built... Now it just needs an external building to shield it from the elements.

Construction of the Eversley Leisure Centre swimming pool is steaming ahead with work set to meet the project’s December opening deadline.

The pool itself has been completed and has even been filled with water for testing.

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Work crews are now set to turn their attention to putting up the external building that will house it.

Craig Rimmer, Conservative councillor responsible for regeneration, said: “The speed of work is really quite amazing.

“I have been on three site visits, the first I was looking at just a mud bath, the second I was looking at the beginnings of a pool and on the latest visit there was a finished car park.

“The bad weather we had earlier in the year set us back a little bit but the guys on the site have managed to catch up and we are back on track.

“With the external building set to go up soon, that will take out the element of battling the weather which will smooth out the last leg.”

He added: “A lot of the pool has been constructed using modular techniques, with section built of site and transported in, which speeds up the process too.”

The swimming pool will be built as an extension to Eversley Leisure Centre in Pitsea and will be operated by Everyone Active, which currently operates the existing centre on behalf of Basildon Council.

Facilities will include a four-lane 25-metre pool, dedicated changing facilities and an extension to the existing car park, providing 50 additional parking spaces for those using the centre. 

The Pitsea South East councillor added: “I have been working on this project for over four years now and I know residents are keenly awaiting finally getting in there once it’s done.”

Eversley Leisure Centre currently has a 60-station health and fitness suite, workout and spin studios, is used as a base by South Essex Gymnastics Club and has a 3G football pitch.

All facilities remain open during the construction works.