PLANS to build the first 50m swimming pool in the North-East have moved forward with the appointment of a contractor.

Sunderland City Council has named Balfour Beatty as the contractor to build the city's £19.8m swimming pool.

The project includes constructing the 50m swimming pool to Olympic standards, and building a Wellness Centre to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

It will be built at Stadium Park, near the Stadium of Light.

Local architects, Red Box Design Group, developed the scheme as part of a consultant team including ARUP and Davis Langdon.

Site preparation has already started and work will begin later this month. The building is expected to be completed in early 2008.

The flagship pool will be the largest between Leeds and Edinburgh.

It will include a 25m-wide main pool with ten lanes, a moveable floor and boom, so the pool can be divided, and a 25m-wide diving tank, with double-width divingboards and seating for 500 spectators. It will act as a regional hub for performance swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and water polo and is expected to attract high-profile national and regional competitions to Sunderland.

The project has been funded by Sunderland City Council, Sport England, European Regional Development Fund, One NorthEast, TyneWear Partnership, Sunderland arc and Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.