A new £10m leisure centre is being planned for Ely, Cambridgeshire, to coincide with the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The centre would include a 25m swimming pool, a gym and a sports hall and would likely replace the existing Paradise Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre.

An independent report presented to members of East Cambridgeshire District Council’s Community Services Committee states that a leisure centre must be built to meet the demands of the areas growing population.

The report was carried out by management consultants Strategic Leisure on behalf of the council, and suggested that the area needed provisions for a six-court badminton hall; three squash courts; a loose weights room; an 80-station gym; and an eight-lane swimming pool – all of which is to be provided by the Ely centre.

Peter Cresswell, chair of the committee, said: “A recent survey in East Cambridgeshire revealed that only 21 per cent of the local population took part in the minimum recommended level of exercise per week, while a staggering 50 per cent did no exercise at all. Any new leisure provision would certainly help us tackle this statistic.

“However, we should not get carried away too soon as we need to assess whether the council can afford the cost of a new facility. The next few months will involve council officers looking at the options available to pay for new facilities.”