Plans for the Birmingham Aquatics and Leisure Centre will be unveiled later today as a public consultation programme gets underway.

The proposals are for a community leisure and swimming pool complex to be built on land owned by Birmingham City Council adjacent to Nelson Primary School on St Vincent Street.

And Birmingham City Council is asking local residents for their views on the new facility, which will incorporate a 50m swimming pool and Olympic diving facility, a state-of-the-art leisure pool with rides and attractions, teaching pool, large fitness suite with exercise studio's, saunas and steam rooms, an eight court sports hall, a two-storey climbing wall and four five-a-side pitches.

The centre, which will utilise part of the existing NIA car park, will also house a crèche, a soft play area, a café, community meeting rooms and a community policing room.

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Councillor Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sports and Culture said: "One of our biggest challenges is to increase sports participation in Birmingham and this development forms a major element of our city-wide sports facilities strategy.

"There is currently no facility for swimming in the Ladywood constituency and this would resolve that issue while at the same time providing a world class facility for the whole of the city.

"It is important to stress this is not just about providing a facility for elite performers and attracting Olympic teams prior to 2012. We're looking to provide the people of this city the top-class sports facilities they deserve.

"This consultation is all part of the pre-planning stage for the project and it's essential we hear the views of as many people as possible."

Birmingham City Council Cabinet approved the site between Nelson Primary School and the railway line, behind the NIA, off St Vincent Street for further development of a 50m pool complex last year after a series of option appraisals and feasibility reports were prepared.

Work could begin on the proposed £58m scheme in October 2009 (subject to Planning and Birmingham Council Cabinet Full Business Case Approvals), with the development to be completed ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

(CD/JM)