Plans for a new sports campus at Derry's St Columb's Park, which will provide a Centre of Sporting Excellence for north west Northern Ireland and Ireland, have received approval.

Members of Derry City Council's (DCC) full council ratified proposals that had been given the green light by the local authority's special development committee on 17 October.

According to a council report, the planned North West Regional Sports Campus (NWRSC) will "enable the facilitation of sports development" in the north west cross-border region.

The campus will incorporate a Judo Centre of Excellence for the region, featuring a two mat dojo; a North West Regional Indoor Climbin Centre; and a 238sq m (2,562sq ft) gym.

A Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association National Wresting Centre with two mat dojo and a warm-up hall and a 594sq m (6,383sq ft) multi-sport sports hall will also feature.

Elsewhere, the NWRSC will provide a floodlit 3G synthetic pitch complex; office space for national governing bodies; and a 117sq m (1,259sq ft) Performance Development Centre.

The plans will also result in the development of a new swimming pool and the closure of the existing Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre, with the project to be carried out in phases.

Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre will stay open during the construction of the new facilities, with the NWRSC to comprise phase one and the swimming pool to form the second stage.

The council report said: "It is anticipated that by redeveloping the leisure offering within the Waterside region, the area will benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, which will be accessible from throughout the city."

DCC special development committee chair Martin Reilly said: "The construction of this new state-of-the-art building will give ratepayers the benefits of a modern facility.

"There are also significant savings to be made by closing the older Lisnagelvin Centre and moving the various sporting interests to a single site."

Image: Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre will shut once the new facilities are complete – Kenneth Allen