BUILDING work has officially begun on the new Spen Valley Leisure Centre.

The £15m leisure complex, which replaces the old Spenborough Pool, is expected to open in winter 2021.

The old pool and fitness complex closed year and has since been demolished.

The new centre on Bradford Road in Liversedge will have an eight-lane 25m main pool as well as a secondary 20m x 10m activity pool with an adjustable floor making it shallow for children and deeper for adults.

All facilities – a 600sqm gym, exercise studios and changing rooms as well as the pools – will be under one roof.

Sedbergh Leisure Centre attracts more than double the amount of gym members than Richard Dunn

Witnessing the first dig by construction company Kier were senior figures from Kirklees Council.

Council Leader Clr Shabir Pandor said he was “delighted” that building work was underway.

He described the new all-purpose facility as “a major capital development project” that will “really transform” the leisure offer for residents of all ages.

Phil McDowell of Kier Regional Building said the commencement of works on site was “a major milestone”.

A much-loved facility, Spenborough Pool was opened by the Duchess of Kent on March 7, 1969.

Thousands of children learned to swim there over half a century.

The replacement £15m project is the first major leisure infrastructure in the north of Kirklees for decades and had been due to open in September 2021.

However there has been a change to the original opening timetable due to the impact of Covid-19.

The new centre will be part of the wider Spenborough fitness complex, including the separate pavilion and athletics track.