THE CONSTRUCTION firm behind a £2.2million sports hall in Dorchester are hopeful of finally completing the build by the end of the current school term.

Developer Morgan Sindall was originally due to complete the hall at the Thomas Hardye School last autumn, but insists it remains ‘totally committed to delivering a great sports facility’ and says an end to the construction is now in sight.

The firm says it has worked closely with the school on the revised timetable, which it claims is partly down to the winter weather.

In January last year it was announced that Morgan Signall had been awarded the £2.2million contract to refurbish the sports hall, which will be used by the school’s 2,300 pupils as well as the public when it opens.

The work includes a new composite roof covering, a new sports flooring, external brickwork and an extension to the changing rooms and shower facilities.

The hall, which was built in the late 1900s, was part of the old Thomas Hardye Leisure Centre – which was replaced by the £8million Dorchester Sports Centre in 2012 on a site adjacent to the sports hall.

The developers claim issues with the previous building structure have also contributed to the delays to the scheme.

A spokesman for Morgan Sindall said: “The Morgan Sindall plc project team remains totally committed to delivering a great sports facility for both Thomas Hardye School and the local community.

“In order to achieve this, we have worked closely and collaboratively with the school to revise the project schedule to take into account factors including poor weather and delays which were caused by issues within the existing building structure.

“The project team is now making good progress and we are looking forward to delivering a fantastic building in this school term.”

Head teacher at the Thomas Hardye School Mike Foley said the school was ‘excited’ about the prospect of the new sports hall.

He said: “As the completion date approaches, we are getting very excited about the opening of our new sports facilities.

“It will provide us with another fantastic indoor space enabling us to broaden the curriculum and provide even more clubs and activities.

“We also hope to extend our offering to the community outside of normal school hours.”