City agrees extra £1m for new pool on campus

York Council's executive has given the go-ahead for the money to be used to provide badly needed swimming facilities in the city.

It will top up an existing 2m grant which the council had already set aside for the project to create the competition-standard pool as part of York University's 500m expansion.

The council's executive member for leisure, culture and social inclusion, Coun Nigel Ayre, said: "We need to take this opportunity now whilst it is on offer – it will not be repeated in the foreseeable future.

"The investment by the council and the university will lever in 1m of external funding – again, this window will close if we don't exploit it now."

Work on York's first competition-standard pool, which will provide training facilities for the city's elite swimmers, is due to start early next year before it is completed in 2012.

The facility will also be open to the public with a training pool for younger swimmers and a seating gallery for spectators.

The agreement with the university will see the council now providing 3m towards the project's overall cost of 9m. The university will cover the remainder of the capital costs as well as taking responsibility for managing the pool.

A strategy which was drawn up by the council three years ago has already delivered significant improvements, including a revamp of Yearsley Pool that was completed in 2008.

The Energise leisure centre which opened in Acomb in December has also helped counter the shortfall in swimming provision in York.