The £11m Tadworth Leisure & Community Centre has officially opened in Surrey, superseding the nearby 1970s-era Banstead Leisure Centre, which will now be redeveloped into 130 houses and flats.

The new centre – a partnership between Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and Surrey County Council – was first touted more than five years ago, but has been subject to several planning delays. Work to build the facility finally commenced in July 2014, with leisure specialists Pellikaan Construction bringing to life the designs from AFLS&P Architects.

The GLL-operated site features a 25m (82ft) six-lane swimming pool and a teaching pool, a four-court multi-use sports hall, four five-a-side football pitches, plus space for community activities. Sport England contributed £500,000 of National Lottery funding towards the centre from its Iconic Facilities fund, enabling the provision of regional standard basketball and trampolining facilities.

The new gym features a range of Technogym equipment across its 60 exercise stations, as well as an exercise and dance studio.

David Hughes, GLL’s Reigate and Banstead partnership manager, said: "Our mission is to get more people active and to ensure leisure services are accessible and affordable to all of the community.

“We are very proud to have the opportunity to manage such an outstanding new leisure centre and are looking forward to welcoming local residents through the doors and showcasing the state-of-the-art facilities."