Plans for the £13.7m Memorial Court Leisure Centre in Northwich, Cheshire, UK have moved forward, with the demolition of its Memorial Hall set to get underway to clear the site for development. Wates construction has been appointed to handle the project.

The new facility will feature a swimming pool with flume, learner pool, spa, dance studio and an 80-station gym, in addition to a commemorative garden honouring the dead of World War I and World War II.

It's been hailed by Cheshire and West Chester Council as the beginning of a transformation for Northwich, according to the council's Stuart Parker: "The leisure complex will enhance the riverside site and help create a vital link with the traditional town centre and the Barons Quay development.

"Many people will have fond memories of the Memorial Hall, but Northwich needs something very different for now and into the future and the Memorial Court Leisure Centre has been designed taking into account the results of detailed consultation with the public."

Construction is expected to be completed before the end of 2014.