A new £4.3m multi-purpose leisure complex in Paddington, London, which will be the only facility in the area to be accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), is to open this summer.

Westminster City Council hopes that the 1,800sq m (19,375sq ft) Little Venice Sports Centre will help to tackle the borough’s health inequalities by making its facilities fully accessible to customers with physical disabilities and learning difficulties, as well as non-disabled users. The complex, which has been designed by LCE Architects, includes a 30-station, 172sq m (1,851sq ft) fitness suite equipped by Matrix Fitness Systems, as well as four badminton court sports hall and a multi-use dance and exercise studio.

Facility operator manager, Nik Walder, said: "We want to eradicate health inequalities in Westminster and as the only IFI site in the borough, it is vital to partner with a supplier that offers equipment that is not only fully accessible for users with physical impairments and learning difficulties, but is of the high standard that today's consumers have come to expect." It will also been designated as a Centre of Excellence for Physical Activity as part of the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, and has been built using sustainable materials in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint.