Chesterfield Borough Council (CBC) and Chesterfield College have joined forces in a bid to secure a £5m investment for the Derbyshire town's Queen's Park Sports Centre.

The council has agreed in principle to move to a dual-use partnership with the college, with further talks to continue. A study will also look at options for the centre's redevelopment.

Around £2.5m from the sale of Chesterfield College's Clowne campus is to be used as the institution's contribution towards the scheme, a figure which will be matched by CBC.

CBC executive member for leisure Nick Stringer said: "Working with the college would see the centre being much more widely used during off-peak times and would give us the potential for more apprenticeship schemes and placement opportunities."

Details: www.chesterfield.gov.uk