THE multi-million pound project to create a new state-of-the-art sports complex for Okehampton took a step further this week when councillors signed up to a series of recommendations regarding financing and leasing of the scheme.

Work on the Parklands Sports Centre scheme is due to start within weeks, following the news that a £3.2-million Lottery bid had been secured for the project.

The centre will include a new swimming pool, sports hall, separate fitness and aerobics studios and floodlit tennis courts.

West Devon Borough Council?s economic, leisure and community development committee has now formally accepted the Lottery grant itself, a £3,540,000 tender from contractors Kier and agreed to pay 70% of the design fees to the consultancy team.

Members also agreed to authorise 125-year leases with landowners Okehampton Town Council and Devon County Council, plus a hire agreement allowing Okehampton College use of the sports hall during school hours.

Cllr David Whitcomb congratulated deputy chief executive David Inman and his team for the hard work they had done to secure the huge Lottery bid against strong competition.

?This is a great success for West Devon,? he said.

Cllr John Hockridge said: ?I think it?s something West Devon should be proud about and something which will be of great benefit not only to Okehampton but to all the borough.?

But Cllr Pat Warne, of Tavistock, sounded a note of warning about the ongoing costs of maintaining the centre in the future.

She said the upkeep of swimming pools was always a drain on borough council resources and felt there should be greater input from the county council.

Cllr Warne said: ?I find this is quite unacceptable ? as it?s on an educational site, Devon County Council should have an extra sense of responsibility. It?s a huge amount of money to be writing off every year.?

Cllr Noel Cartwright said in some areas, upkeep of swimming pools had been handed over to a company, usually a charity set up by the council which owned the pool.

Cllr Caroline Keane said there were other issues surrounding provision of swimming pools, beside finances.

?I do think it?s important for the community in the sense of its physical health ? I don?t believe it?s a waste or money down the drain,? she said.

Mr Inman told the committee that district councils throughout the country provided services which the private sector would not supply.

He said for the Parklands Centre, the county council was contributing £170,000 plus the land required for the project to go ahead.

?I would say we have struck a pretty good deal with the education authority, given the starting point.

?The facilities are going to be very, very good ? they are facilities a lot of other places would die for,? said Mr Inman.

He said the option of creating an outside body to look after the pool once it was up and running was ?clearly an option? which could be investigated in the future.

The total cost of the Parklands Centre comes to around £4.2-million. The centre, one of a number of regeneration projects implemented by the borough council, will be built on land to the north of Simmons Park.