Construction on the £35m Surrey Centre for Sport at the University of Surrey in Guildford will begin in June after a delay, but the project remains on track for an opening in January 2010.

Construction on the project, which is being developed by Willmott Dixon and will be managed by the university, had been due to begin last month.

There was a slight delay in getting subcontractors on board due to the sheer number that applied to work on the project, a university spokesperson said.

Subcontractors will be signed in the next few days, said Greg Melly, director of corporate services at the university.

The university is funding the project, and is still looking for partners, Melly said.

“We recognize we haven’t spent enough money on sport in the past,” Melly said, “[The project] is about developing links between sports and health and the academic curriculum, not just a sports facility.

The facility, which will be one of the largest of its kind in the South East, will replace the university’s current sports centre, which is set to be demolished.

The new centre will contain a 50m eight-lane swimming pool, a 100-station health and fitness suite, and two multi-purpose exercise studios.

There will be three multipurpose halls, each accommodating four badminton courts, eight squash courts with show courts for 180 spectators, eight outdoor floodlit tennis courts, four real tennis courts, and a 13m climbing wall.

Also planned are two floodlit artificial grass pitches, eight football/rugby pitches, 16 wet and dry changing areas, two consultation and treatment rooms, and a 350-seat café and social area.

The university plans to double the number of its current sports facility staff upon the new facility’s opening.

The centre will be built with disabled athletes in mind.

“The centre is likely to be one of the best if not the best centre for disability sport,” the spokesperson said.

The new facility will be open to the entire community, and is being offered as a training ground for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, along with the Guildford Spectrum, Guildford Lido, and Guildford College’s Merrist Wood Campus.

The spokesperson said the Olympic and Paralympic athletes would also be also have access to student housing on campus.

“There will be lots going on in the South East with the 2012 Olympics,” Melly said, “We’re trying to attract sports people to the region here.”