A £67m public service hub, featuring leisure and learning facilities, is being planned for Wigan.

The complex – to be called the Joint Service Centre – will boast a 25m swimming pool, a fitness centre and a new library, with the aim of being a one-stop shop for public services.

The centre is being funded by private finance initiative (PFI) credits, for which Wigan Council had to compete against 100 other councils to secure. Under terms of the PFI, the private sector will bear the initial building and running costs, which are then paid back over 25 years using the government credits.

Peter Smith, leader of Wigan Council, said: “By joining up public services in this way, we’ll be able to sort out most people’s enquiries at the first point of contact. This is one of the most ambitious council schemes being undertaken in the UK and we will prove beyond all doubt that we are capable of delivering it successfully.”

LCE Architects and ASTUDIO are working together in a collaborative team on the centre.

Work expected to begin in September and open in January 2011.