Fire station sports centre planned for Toxteth
Plans to create a £4.8m combined sports centre and fire station in Liverpool have been unveiled.
The scheme involves demolishing Toxteth Sports Centre and relocating Toxteth Fire Station to a new building on the Upper Hill Street site.
The campus will be known as Toxteth Firefit and will be funded through the Big Lottery Fund, the city council and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.
The centre will include a climbing wall and a multi-activity room.
The fire service has built a partnership with the city council to provide leisure facilities by equipping fire stations with fitness suites for community use.
The cost will be split through a £2.3m lottery grant, £2m from the fire service and £500,000 from the city council.
Councillor Ann O'Byrne, of the Labour-run council, said: "This is an exciting and innovative project which will create top quality leisure and youth facilities as well as putting Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service at the heart of the local community.
"The existing sports centre is looking tired and in need of major investment and this scheme will breathe new life into the whole site."
Kieran Timmins, assistant chief executive of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The project provides a great partnership for the regeneration of the whole area as well as creating outstanding sporting facilities and a fire station for the use of everyone in the community."
A planning application is due to be submitted later this year with work expected to start in June ready for completion in summer 2012.