Planning chiefs are tomorrow expected to give the green light to a £15m investment in Ellesmere Port’s sports and leisure facilities.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s strategic planning committee is being recommended to approve plans for the development of a sports and leisure village for the town.

Proposals have been changed to increase facilities to be built on the town’s former Stanney High School site and include an eight-court badminton hall with a seating capacity of 1,400, eight-lane competition swimming pool and an 80-station gym.

Future expansion will also provide an indoor athletics straight to complement the competition track already at the site, and discussions are underway to upgrade the facility’s all weather football pitches.

The finished centre will have the capacity to host regional and televised events.

Executive member for culture and recreation, Cllr Stuart Parker, said: “This ambitious project is a huge investment by the council and shows our commitment to providing our residents with a state-of-the-art new sports and leisure village.

“Subject to planning permission, it will see a currently unused piece of land becoming a focal hub for the town’s communities as well as offering residents and visitors from further afield high-class facilities and an opportunity to try out new sports for a reasonable cost.”

Should the proposals be approved, work will begin as early as November, with the new facility open to the public by early 2015