Plans for a multi-million pound leisure centre in Eastbourne have been given the go-ahead.

Councillors at Eastbourne Borough Council have agreed to proposals, which includes a new building consisting of a 130-station gym, six-lane pool, fun pool and wave machine, learner pool, a sports hall, trampoline hall, and a clip and climb wall.

The project team will also look at the viability of a FlowRider which, if built, would be the only one of its kind in the south east of England. A FlowRider shoots jets of water at high speed onto a surface designed to create an artificial wave. It is commonly used by surfers and body boarders.

The new facility, which will cost £24.5m, will replace the existing Sovereign Centre on the seafront.

Building work is expected to begin in December 2017. The Sovereign Centre will remain open during the construction, with the new complex earmarked to open in late 2019.

Council leader David Tutt said: “This project has got people talking and genuinely excited. The old Sovereign Centre was opened in the 1970s and has given generations of local people terrific memories of learning to swim, keeping fit and the popular wave machine.

“Inevitably, over 40 years of heavy duty use has taken its toll, so Eastbourne Borough Council will invest in a new swimming and leisure venue that includes all the modern and high-tech leisure facilities that residents will enjoy using.”