WORK on the new St Martin's College sports complex is racing ahead and will be completed before the end of the century.

Construction of the £1.4m Lottery-funded facility - which complements the recently-installed artificial turf pitch - is on schedule for a December 17 finish - several weeks ahead of schedule.

It will officially open in the New Year.

"The workforce is working very swiftly and efficiently - it's a real gold medal job. St Martin's is thrilled that it is all coming together so smoothly," said a college spokesman.

The state-oxf-the-art complex - which will be open to the public - is expected to attract even more students to the successful Lancaster college.

Since introducing sports studies and sports science as degree subjects five years ago, St Martin's now has over 350 students on the courses. These numbers are expected to grow as the college's reputation for sporting excellence grows.

Details have just been released about the facilities inside the new sports complex. These include:

A 740 sq. metre main hall with an elastic sprung floor and a specialist gymnastics area

The main hall is designed to allow county standard badminton with room for four courts

A 70 sq metre conditioning room

A ground floor teaching room which can be sub-divided into two rooms, a sports injuries clinic, a first aid room and two office spaces.

Access to the sports complex is via the new road from Wyresdale Road - opposite the gates to Williamson Park. The car park - which will be fully landscaped to screen vehicles from nearby private houses - will hold up to 41 vehicles.

"It's been fascinating watching the building take shape over the last few month's" added a college spokesman. "We are sure the sports complex will be well used by students and members of the public alike and we look forward to a grand opening in the new millennium."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.