Plans for £7m sports centre in north Sheffield revealed

The proposed facility will include a six-lane swimming pool

Plans for a new £7m sports centre and swimming pool in Sheffield have been announced.

It is proposed the facility would be built on the Thorncliffe Recreation Ground, in High Green, to replace pools in Chapeltown and Stocksbridge.

The centre will be funded by the government, Sheffield City Council and Ecclesfield Parish Council.

The city council said it also planned to develop outdoor sports facilities at the Thorncliffe site.

The announcement follows the start of demolition work last month at Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium.

The stadium was built in 1990 to host the 1991 World Student Games at a cost of £29m.

The stadium, where Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill trained, was closed as part of cost-saving measures approved by the city council.

The new swimming pool is planned to replace the ageing Chapeltown Pool which is to remain open until the new centre is completed.

It is to also replace the Stocksbridge pool, closed in April as part of a £50m programme of cuts, though other facilities at the leisure centre have now been reopened by volunteers.

If approved, it is hoped the new facility would open in 2015.