A foundation stone has been unveiled as part of a ceremony to mark the start of work on a new £12m leisure centre on a brownfield site between Darley Dale and Matlock, Derbyshire.

Morgan Ashurst has been appointed to deliver the Central Area Leisure Centre (CALC) scheme, which is being project managed by consultants Drivers Jonas and is due for completion in summer 2011. The complex, which is being developed on a site near the A6 called The Dimple, will include an eight-lane swimming pool with a moveable floor and is designed to meet regional and county competition requirements.

A sports hall with county-standard badminton courts and facilities for five-a-side football, basketball, indoor hockey, volleyball and cricket nets, as well as a second hall for aerobics, fitness classes, martial arts and yoga form part of the scheme. A café, meeting rooms and changing facilities are also included as part of the CALC development, along with a community room to replace the existing Darley Dale Community Centre.

Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC) is providing £7m towards the development, as well as £3.7m from East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) and grants from Sport England and Derbyshire Economic Partnership. EMDA chair Dr Bryan Jackson said: "Matlock is developing with the by-pass and Sainsbury's and this is going to be an iconic building that will put Matlock on the map for the right reasons. It's all good news - a win-win situation."