Liverpool’s new £17m Olympic-sized swimming pool is due to open on 15 March.

The complex in Wavertree will actually feature three pools, as the main pool is designed to be divided in two, plus there is an additional 20m pool. The pool may be used for swimming championships, and therefore boasts a 400-seat stand.

The scheme, which is the result of a partnership between Liverpool City Council and Sport England, represents the biggest investment in the city’s swimming facilities in decades. The council is providing £13m of funding, with the remainder coming from Sport England.

Warren Bradley, leader of the council, said: “This will be a valuable facility not just for our own elite swimmers, but also the local community including recreational groups, mothers and toddlers and schools.

“It will also be used by up and coming junior swimmers who are rising through the ranks and are potential Olympic and Commonwealth medal winners of the future. The aim is for this facility to help create local heroes and heroines in the pool at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“We are delighted that Sport England has pledged its support for the project, to help us make this dream a reality in our year as European Capital of Culture.”