Metrix Consortium's proposals for a £12bn defence technical college at the former RAF airbase in St Athan, South Wales, incorporate a new community leisure centre.

Plans submitted to the Vale of Glamorgan Council on 12 May outline a sports centre comprising 12 sports courts plus two squash courts; an eight-lane, floodlit athletics track; 12 outdoor sports for rugby, hockey, football and cricket; and a fitness suite with cardiovascular equipment and a free weights area.

A 25m, eight-lane swimming pool will also be built to Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) standards, while a crèche on site will accommodate the needs of the military personnel with any available spaces being open to community use.

The sports facility is likely to be open to the public in the evenings and at the weekends, with the final arrangements being decided via public consultations.

In addition, the existing Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers' (REME) military museum in Arborfield near Reading, Berkshire, will be relocated to the site to provide a local attraction aimed at enticing tourists to region.

Cllr Jeffrey James, chair of the planning committee, said: "After much work and input from the council, it is pleasing to note that the scheme has reached another significant stage.

These proposals, which represent a potentially significant development, will now be the subject of extensive and wide ranging consultation, this being an important element in the consideration and determination of the applications."

The planning application will be processed within the next 16 weeks and, if approved, construction on site is expected to start in autumn 2010, with the academy and sports facilities opening in 2014.