Rochdale Council (RMBC) is set to invest £31m in the area’s leisure facilities, which will include funding Middleton Arena, the Heywood Sport, Culture and Leisure Village and redevelopments to the Central Leisure facilities.

Link4life – the trust which was set up earlier this year to manage the council’s arts and heritage, entertainment, fitness and health, and sports and leisure services – in partnership with RMBC and external providers will provide more than £13m savings over the length of the contract, which will release Prudential Borrowing of nearly £8m.

Middleton Arena is scheduled to in November 2008 – Tesco is providing £13m to fund the capital costs of the project and the council will provide £420,000 for equipment for the sports hall, swimming pool, fitness facilities, stage and lighting.

Work on the Heywood Sport, Culture and Leisure Village should be completed by April 2009. The council is expected to provide £2m of the final £8m costs.

The Council also hopes to replace the 70-year-old Central Leisure building at a cost of £8m, which would include the addition of a four court sports hall. It is hoped that work will be complete by April 2011.