AN "iconic" £26m extreme sports leisure centre could be built in the area.

Plans for the leisure and watersports centre have been drawn up in the hope of filling a gap in the leisure and tourism market and bringing additional money to the area.

Members of Hartlepool Borough Council agreed on Friday that the proposals for the H2O centre in the town should go to public consultation.

The centre would be part of the proposed £500m development of the Victoria Harbour, in the town, and would contain three swimming pools, a four-court sports hall, health and fitness centre and spectator seating.

The centre could also house an indoor extreme sports area for climbing, skateboarding and trick cycling, and an outdoor centre for surfing, kayaking and canoeing.

The cash-strapped council has already set aside £3m for the scheme, but would need substantial outside funding from sources such as development agency One NorthEast, Tees Valley Regeneration, Sport England or the National Lottery.

Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the town to create some state-of-the-art leisure facilities."

The town's only other swimming pool, at the Mill House Leisure Centre, has not received investment for years and would need up to £12m to bring it up to standard.

If the H2O plans for are given the go-ahead, the council will consider selling the Mill House site, in Raby Road, to developers. Consultancy company Capita Symonds was commissioned a year ago to carry out a feasibility study for a new watersports centre in the town, along with reviewing the cost for redeveloping the Mill House centre.

The company found there was considerable support regionally for a development at Victoria Harbour, which could lead to other investment.