Plans for the dual-use Grassmarket Sports Centre have been given the green light by the City of Edinburgh Council.

The application for the £4m development was submitted by George Heriots Trust, on behalf of the private school George Heriot, which will share the facilities with the public.

LDN Architects designed the two-storey centre to include a fitness suite, a five-court sports hall, changing rooms and training room as well as a multi-purpose studio space and viewing area.

The proposed site for the centre, at the back of the school grounds on Lauriston Place, is the former Edinburgh College of Art Grassmarket Campus, which the school acquired last year. An existing building will be demolished to make way for the sports facility.

The centre has been designed to complement its historic surroundings in the Old Town Conservation Area.

A spokesperson for the school said: "The new facility is primarily for the benefit of the school, but the governors hope it will become a popular resource for the local community as well."

The development is part of the school's masterplan to improve educational facilities. Future plans are understood to include a new swimming pool alongside the centre, as the school's current pool is not suitable for teaching competitive swimming.

Construction work is expected to begin in the middle of 2009.