Work has started to bring a new sports and leisure centre to Rochdale town centre.

Oldham-based contractors Willmott Dixon are now preparing the site ready for construction, which will begin in the new year.

The new leisure centre will include an eight-lane 25m swimming pool and learner pool with moveable floor, as well as a sports hall, thermal and fitness suites, dance studios and youth gym.

In the coming weeks the ground will be prepared for the centre's foundations, an access road will be built and a drainage system installed.

Councillor David Clayton, Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure, said: "We are committed to providing residents with modern, high quality sports and leisure facilities, and this is the latest demonstration of that. When the centre opens in the Olympic year of 2012, it will be the third £10m plus centre to open in the borough since 2009, with Middleton Arena and Heywood Sports Village already offering fantastic facilities."

Service Director for Regeneration at Rochdale Borough Council, John Percival, said: "Central Leisure dates back to the 1930s and has provided good service to generations of Rochdalians, but now it is time to upgrade and provide a modern sports and leisure centre that can offer even more. The new centre is being built just yards from the existing one and will be a great place for people of all ages to come to get fit. It will bring more people into Rochdale which is great for the vitality of the town centre."

Craig McAteer, Managing Director of Link4Life which is working with the council to deliver the centre, said: "This is the final stage in a borough-wide £34 million investment programme in sport and leisure since Link4Life was created three and a half years ago. Rochdale residents can look forward to bigger and better facilities than ever before and a town centre leisure centre of this quality, with the added advantage of a sport hall, is an exciting prospect."

Willmott Dixon, has more than 25 years of experience in delivering leisure and culture facilities and in the last decade has built over 100 pools and 70 leisure facilities. The company has constructed a 50m Olympic training pool at the University of Surrey and one of its most recent projects is the international pool in Corby, which will also be a training venue in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.

Willmott Dixon's Managing Director for the North West, Anthony Dillon, said: "It's great to get on site and show that this centre is starting to become a reality. It will be a fantastic facility for the people of Rochdale and we are delighted to be delivering it with the Council and Link4Life."