Triathlon, Cycling and Rowing activities set to come to Redcar as construction starts on Coastal Activity Hub

British Triathlon, British Rowing and British Cycling - the National Governing Bodies for their respective sports – have all endorsed the project with a vision of bringing community activities and local, regional, and national competitions to the hub, including the Go Tri series.

Local Active Partnership Tees Valley Sport has also offered its support – recognising the role that facilities play in driving participation.

The hub could offer the opportunity for local organisations to host a range of other exciting activities, sports and events such as beach volleyball, land yachting and running events, with local sports clubs and community groups already showing interest.

The Coastal Activity Hub will be located in a unique shipping container village that can be used as a meeting place and an informal base for clubs, school groups, activity leaders, families, or groups of friends.

Coatham beach and the surrounding area is currently used for a wide variety of coastal activities and the hub will provide a base for these existing groups and individuals.

Facilities for the Coastal Activity Hub will include a range of indoor and outdoor multi-use spaces, public toilet facilities, showers, lockers, an equipment store, changing facilities and parking. An accompanying catering offer will enhance the experience for visitors.

The external space adjacent to the container village will form a flexible event area that could be used for a range of outdoor activities, such as exercise classes, sports, and demonstrations.

It could also provide space for an event village, from which competitions could start and finish, including running festivals and triathlons.

All attempts will be made to keep disruption to a minimum on site as the site is already cordoned off for other works on Coatham, including the development of Play Park and the Adventure Golf Course.

This is part of the Coatham seafront masterplan, which aims to regenerate the seafront along Majuba Road to create a leisure-based destination. The new 100-space car park, which was recently built on the former Coatham Bowl site, will help mitigate demands for parking.

The total project cost of the project is £880,000 with £855,000 being met by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority and £25,000 via the Redcar Town Deal.

The Redcar Town Deal is led by a group of industry experts, business leaders, and community representatives, who have volunteered to support the regeneration of Redcar. Alongside the Council, they have helped develop large-scale regeneration plans on how to make Redcar a vibrant, sustainable town.

Construction will take approximately six months, with a completion date set for November this year. An operator is currently being sought for the Coastal Activity Hub, which includes two provisionally licenced Food and Beverage units. Further information can be found on the Redcar Town Deal website.

Darren Winter, Chair of Redcar Town Board, said:

“The Coastal Activity Hub is fantastic news for Redcar. With British Cycling, British Rowing, British Triathlon and community groups already excited at the prospect of bringing new sporting activities and holding competitive sporting events, the Hub will be a unique tourist attraction to raise the profile of Redcar, make it a destination town for visitors and sportspersons and give visitors another reason to stay in the area longer, which we believe will support the growth of local businesses, particularly those in hospitality, retail and entertainment.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said:

“Cycling, rowing and water sports have always been huge in Redcar and helping to fund this project that will only see these, and other activities, grow. The facility has got the backing of national organisations, proving it will be top-quality and exactly what these sports need. It will bring more people into the town, spending in our brilliant local businesses while driving further visitors and giving local people a hub, they’ve been crying out for.”

Cllr Lynn Pallister, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth at the Council, said:

"This is going to be an amazing attraction for tourists, but it will also be a great place for local sports clubs to meet, which will encourage entertainment and events. We’re so pleased work has started, and very soon people will see a huge transformation to the Coatham area, restoring pride in the local community and providing a great place for friends and family to gather and spend time.”

Nigel Hornsby, Chairman of Redcar Triathlon Club, said:

“The development of the activity hub at Majuba makes our sport and club so much more accessible. This facility will open so many doors for enhancing the club offer for members and potential new ones as well as allowing facilities for events that will support the sustainability and growth of the club.

“Our enthusiastic committee and membership look forward to being involved and coordinating future events like go-tri, open water swimming, duathlons and the like from a base specifically designed for that purpose. The hub also provides a safe environment to work from when running activities particularly during the winter months and dark nights. It's exciting to see what the future opportunities come about by developing relationships out of this hub.”

Mark Fishpool, Programme Director of Sport England funded ‘You’ve Got This’ said:

“Moving more as part of our daily lives is great for our physical health and mental well-being. The Coastal Activity Hub will provide even more opportunities for local people and visitors to enjoy being active along our fantastic coast.”