IT?S finally happened ? Okehampton has succeeded in attracting a massive Lottery grant of more than £3.2-million to create a new, state-of-the-art sports centre in Simmons Park.

The news was confirmed to the Times just before the paper went to press yesterday (Wednesday).

The centre, which will cost a total of £4.2-million, will comprise a 25-metre four-lane traditional swimming pool, a competition sports hall and separate fitness and aerobic studios.

New floodlit tennis courts will also be constructed.

The sports centre is one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by West Devon Borough Council.

Cllr Nick Morgan, chairman of the council?s economic, leisure and community development committee, said: ?This is really fantastic news. We have been totally successful ? this is a real flagship scheme for Okehampton and financially, the biggest project we have ever been involved in.?

Cllr Morgan said he hoped work would start on site in April ? the Parklands Sports Centre should be up and running in June 2004.

Cllr Morgan said: ?These are undoubtedly exciting days for Okehampton. The town is really going places and this new sports centre will very much underline that.

?We are extremely grateful, not only to the Lottery panel, but to the town council, Okehampton Community Recreational Association, Okehampton College, Devon County Council and the Mid Devon Primary Care Trust, together with the local tennis and swimming clubs, all of whom have input to the scheme.

Cllr Richard Phillips, mayor of West Devon, said: ?I am really delighted for everybody in Okehampton, especially for its young people, that the town is now going to have the sort of facilities that will be the envy of most other localities.

?A lot of people have worked very hard for this, many of them in the Okehampton community. They deserve a big thank you.?

Cllr Christine Marsh, mayor of Okehampton, said she was ?absolutely over the moon? at the good news.

She said: ?It shows what confidence outside people have in Okehampton, with all the grants we have attracted for the park, the museum and the Ockment Centre.

?The centre will be for all of us, it will be used by absolutely everybody, the town, the college, and will bring people into Okehampton.

?It?s brought the college and town council and everyone closer, and really it?s all come out of a lot of people working very hard together ? it?s just brilliant news.?

West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett, who backed the application for Okehampton in meetings with the chief executive of the Sports Lottery Board, said: ?I am absolutely delighted ? this is really excellent news for Okehampton and I congratulate everyone involved with the bid, particularly West Devon Borough Council, for their very hard work.?

The sports centre scheme is part of a number of regeneration measures implemented by the borough council following the lease of council-owned land to supermarket giant Waitrose.

It was very much the product of partnership working ? the Sports Lottery Panel were said to be impressed by the range of bodies involved in the project.

The new centre will be built on land to the north of Simmons Park, overlooking the Edwardian parkland which itself was awarded a large Heritage Lottery grant for refurbishment.

The present, ageing swimming pool will continue to be in operation for as long as practical.