Work is set to begin by the end of the year on the £31.4m Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in North Lanarkshire after the local authority agreed to provide extra funding.

North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) has approved an additional £2.4m for the new complex in order to cover rising costs, and it is now expected that preparation work can begin on site in December, with full-scale work scheduled to begin in early 2009. The facility will include a full-size indoor football pitch, a nine-court sports hall, a strength and conditioning suite and an athletics track. Two dance studios, central changing rooms, outdoor football and training pitches and an outdoor activity area for children are also among the plans.

Expected to open in May 2010, it is hoped that the complex will be used as a training facility for the London 2012 Olympics and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The site has also been earmarked as the host of the International Children's Games in 2011. Funding for the scheme is being provided by the council and Ravenscraig Limited, while sportscotland has also contributed £7m from its National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy.

Leader of NLC, Jim McCabe, said: "The new sports facility will host local, regional and national sports, as well as leisure and cultural events. We will continue to explore all potential sources of funding with our partners." The facility's design includes a serrated roof, allowing for natural light to enter the building throughout the year to reduce dependence on artificial lighting. Combined heat and power systems will also be installed to reduce annual energy costs.

Project director for Ravenscraig Limited, Jim Fitzimmons, said: "The new regional sports facility is an important part of the wider Ravenscraig development, and the decision by North Lanarkshire Council is a clear demonstration of its commitment to the project. "It underlines Ravenscraig's potential to have a major transformational effect on Lanarkshire in terms of employment, investment, social benefits, image and health and wellbeing."