Northumberland County Council has selected the firm to deliver the £21m Morpeth leisure centre.

Work will start on The Terrace site on Gas House Lane in November, with the centre complete and open to the public in Summer 2022.

The centre will include a six-lane swimming pool, a learner pool, spa facilities, a four-court sports hall, a new 100 station fitness suite.

The plans also incorporate a new community services hub which will see the town’s library move back to its former home on Gas House Lane, a customer service centre and a new adult learning facility with classrooms for STEM learning and catering.

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the north, said: “As one of the UK’s largest constructors of leisure centres, we will be bringing all our experience to ensure this is a fantastic facility for local people, as well as ensuring that we use local companies wherever possible to help support the local economy and create jobs in Morpeth.”

The new centre is part of an ambitious £65m countywide investment programme by Northumberland County Council to upgrade and transform sport and leisure facilities.

This includes the building of new leisure centres in Berwick and Ponteland and major investment to refurbish and revitalise centres in Blyth and Hexham.