Image: plans include a new swimming pool

Walsall Council has unveiled outline plans to build two new leisure centres in the borough.

Initial recommendations for the new centres at the town's Oak Park and Bloxwich sites will be presented to Walsall Council Coalition's Cabinet on 24 October 2012.

The leisure centre at Oak Park would provide an eight-lane 25m swimming pool, a teaching pool with moveable floor, a six badminton court-sized sports hall, fitness suite, health spa, dance studio and catering facilities. In addition, the artificial turf pitch would be upgraded.

The council is hoping to secure a grant of up to £2m from the Sport England Lottery Fund to support the project.

Councillors and senior officers are currently drawing up full proposals, including a breakdown of the investment required, with the grant application to be submitted in mid-December 2012.

Councillor Anthony Harris, cabinet member for sport and leisure at Walsall Council Coalition, said: "Walsall's leisure centres are generally not in good condition. We accept that they're ageing, unattractive and poorly designed compared with current standards and will become increasingly costly to manage.

"From our research we know the best way to encourage more people to take up some form of physical activity is to improve our leisure centre facilities and ensure they're of good quality, well designed and attractive."