Plans for a £37m (US$48.8m, €41.5m) leisure centre including a 200-station gym have been given the green light by councillors at Winchester City Council in Hampshire.

The proposed Winchester Sport and Leisure Centre will replace River Park Leisure Centre after a needs assessment showed increased capacity was required to meet local demand.

“We need to look to the future and, having listened to the public and taken on board advice from the experts, are confident that we can create better facilities that offer a broader range of sport and leisure opportunities for the district’s communities,” said councillor Lisa Griffiths, the council’s portfolio holder for health and wellbeing.

According to a council report, unmet demand and projected growth mean the gym should increase the number of fitness stations from 150 to between 180 and 200 to meet the needs of the community.

A larger health and fitness gym “should generate sufficient revenue” to cover the costs, the report said.

Designs for the new building include a 50m pool, a teaching pool with movable floor, 250 spectator seats and a water play area, an eight-court sports hall, a clip-and-climb wall, four squash courts, two fitness studios and one spin studio.

The centre will also have a hydrotherapy suite offering therapeutic services and eight treatment rooms.

An operator has not yet been appointed to run the facility, which is expected to open in 2020.