Work will begin later this month on Tower Hamlets’ flagship sports and leisure facility, the Mile End Stadium.

Councillor Manir Uddin Ahmed, mayor of Tower Hamlets Council, officially broke ground at Mile End Park yesterday (7 June), marking the beginning of construction work on the £15m project.

The scheme has been funded by the Millennium Commission, New Deal for Communities, Tower Hamlets council and a £5.4m grant from Sport England.

The leisure centre has been designed by architects, Limbrick, to attract all sectors of the community, particularly those who have shown low interest in sports, such as Bengali women, by offering a women-only fitness suite, direct access from the women’s changing room to the secondary pool with flexible water depth and a health suite and a crèche.

The centre will also offer 10 third generation artificial mini-pitches with floodlighting.

The pitches will be open from January 2005 with the rest of the centre opening in early 2006.

It will initially be managed by Greenwich Leisure under a 15-year contract.

Ray Gerlach, acting corporate director of environment and culture for Tower Hamlets council, said: “Local athletes have used Mile End for a long time and the new facilities will offer unprecedented opportunities in the borough for training and fulfils the council’s commitment to excellent public services that will benefit the entire local community.”

Roger Draper, chief executive of Sport England added: “The development of these facilities will give many more people in the area the opportunity to start, stay and succeed in sport – key Sport England objectives.

“We are particularly pleased that every effort has been made to make the facilities as inclusive as possible.”