Plans for a £60m Aquatics Centre in Smethwick have been approved by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), sprinting the region’s vision for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games closer to the finish line.

The plans secured approval from SMBC’s planning committee in March 2019 but required further permissions from the full council in April to depart from the authority’s local plan, so that the proposed Londonderry Playing Fields site could be used for the construction of the leisure centre.

Work on the new facility will begin on-site later this year and is expected to be completed by 2021. Once finished, the centre will host the swimming and diving for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and will offer a 50m Olympic-sized competition swimming pool, a 25m diving pool and a studio pool, as well as a dry-dive facility, 108-station gym, 25-station ladies-only gym, three activity studios, eight-court sports hall, indoor cycling studio, sauna/steam room and café.

Improvement work will be carried out on the rest of the site, which will include an urban park, football pitch with new changing facilities, children’s play area and on-site parking.

The new centre will be built by Wates Construction and run by Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT).

Find out more about Sandwell Aquatics Centre.