Arun District Council has selected Willmott Dixon to build a £15m leisure centre for the West Sussex seaside resort of Littlehampton.

The Littlehampton Leisure Centre will feature an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool, learner pool and a health and fitness club with dance and cycling studios. There will also be a sports hall for community activities and a café.

The new facility will replace the current sports dome located at the site and construction is set to begin in 2017.

Arun District Council procured Willmott Dixon through the Southern Construction Framework – an initiative set up to ease the complexity of construction projects for local authorities, public sector bodies and charities in the region.

Willmott Dixon will deploy its Community Investment Plan for the build process, which includes local work placements, trainee and graduate placements and apprenticeships, along with creating new jobs.

“Creating a legacy is important,” said Roger Forsdyke, managing director of Willmott Dixon construction in Cobham. “We’ll be working closely with Arun District Council to provide the local community with much needed new facilities.”

The construction giant has delivered more than £100m of leisure facilities in the past six months and the company’s recent involvement in flagship leisure schemes includes new centres in Tewkesbury, Dartford, Scarborough and Romford, where it is creating the town’s centrepiece ice rink and swimming pool complex set for completion in early 2018.