The new £4m St Johns Leisure Centre in Worcester is on track to open this September, a month later than scheduled, due to technical problems with the utilities.

The dual-use facility is part of a Sainsburys led regeneration of the area, which will also include a new youth centre and improvements to the nearby Christopher Whitehead Language College.

The project is a joint venture between Worcester City Council, Worcestershire County Council and the college, funded by Sainsburys. The new facility will be built in close proximity to the existing St Johns Sport Centre, which will be demolished to make way for a new 26,000sq ft supermarket.

The new centre was designed by Sheffield-based architects Hadfield Cawkwell Davidson and the construction work is being carried out by Bowmer and Kirkland Group from Derbyshire.

When complete, the two storey 2,150sq m centre will feature a four-court sports hall with under-floor heating, a dance studio, a multi-use room and a two floor Harpers fitness suite with 56 stations of equipment, supplied by Cybex International. There will also be two outdoor, 3G, floodlit, all-weather football pitches.

The centre has also been put forward to be a part of the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), which is supported by the National Sports Foundation and The English Federation of Disability Sport.

The purpose of the IFI is for the industry to be more inclusive and to attract users who would not usually become members of a leisure centre such as disabled people and older adults.

Alan New, business recreation manager at the city council, said: "The fitness suite will incorporate equipment that can be used by disabled people, as will the centre be inclusive for both disabled and non-disabled users."

Wynne Rogers, assistant head of Safer and Stronger Communities at Worcester City Council said : “We are disappointed that the new centre has been delayed; however, we are all looking forward to its opening and the benefits it will bring to the community.

"August is typically a quiet month so we are hoping that the few weeks delay will not have any major impact. Indeed, our children’s activities will continue during the holidays – it will be business as usual.”

The project is expected to be completed by August 2008.