Construction has begun on the £35m Surrey Centre for Sport, a dual-use facility located on the site of Surrey University in Guildford. As well as serving students and the entire community, the facilities will also cater for elite athletes.

The project, which is being developed by Willmott Dixon and was designed by architects FaulknerBrowns, will boast the first 50m, eight-lane pool in Surrey and will be one of the largest sports centres in the South East.

Greg Melly, director of corporate services at the university, told Leisure Opportunities that the project is not just about a sports facility but about developing links between sports, health and the academic curriculum.

The facility will include three sports halls with four badminton courts, six tennis courts and eight squash courts with a spectator area for 180-plus people. As well as a 13m climbing wall with overhang, two exercise studios and a 100-station health and fitness suite with two treatment rooms.

A 350-seat café and social area will also be on the site along with 16 wet and dry changing facilities.

The outside of the centre will boast eight floodlit tennis courts, eight full-size grass pitches and two floodlit artificial pitches.

The university, which will manage the centre, is working with the British Paralympic Association and the English Federation of Disability Sport and WheelPower to provide full disabled access to facilities. It has also been announced that the centre will be a pre-games training venue for the Paralympics, including Goalball, Boccia, Paralympic table tennis, wheelchair basketball and rugby.

"The University has funded the project to date - and has committed to funding the project moving forwards but will be seeking commercial partners to ensure it maintains its status and standards."

The new centre will replace an existing facility on the site which is no longer equipped to cope with the current number of students. The centre will be demolished when the new one opens in January 2010.