Plans to build a £10m swimming pool and leisure centre on a former landfill site in Hythe, Kent, have moved a step closer after an application was submitted to the local council.

The new facility will have a 100-station gym, three exercise studios and a six-lane 25m swimming pool with spectator seating for up to 100 people, as well as a teaching pool. It will replace the existing pool in South Road at Princes Parade in the town.

Around 150 homes, including 45 affordable units, could also be built to help fund the leisure centre.

The plans also include opportunities for other commercial developments, such as a boutique hotel, café and restaurant.

Leader of Shepway District Council, councillor David Monk, described the application as “a once in a generation opportunity to breathe new life into this former municipal waste tip”.

Next year, the authority will invite leisure trusts to submit proposals to manage the centre when work on site is also due to begin. The facility is expected to take up to three years to complete.