The new £6.5m Palatine Leisure Centre, six years in the planning, has opened in Blackpool.

The combination of two schemes – Blackpool Council’s plans to create a new swimming centre and Palatine Community Sports College’s desire to improve its sporting facilities – the 3,500sq ft centre offers a 25m pool with learner pool and area for 270 spectators, a sports hall, dance studio, rehabilitation suite and conference facilities.

An Aspire fitness centre boasts 40 pieces of cv and resistance equipment from Technogym. The sports hall can be converted into a three-star table tennis centre.

The facility received a £4.395m grant from the National Lottery, through Sport England and a further £100,000 donated by local sports groups.

Paul Walker, director of leisure, culture and community for the council, said he hoped the new facilities would attract regional and national competitions.

The swimming pool, which has a variable-depth floor, to cater for swimming competitions or water polo matches, will be home to Blackpool Amateur Swimming and Water Polo Club.