A £16m sports centre will be built at The University of Central Lancashire (UCL) in Preston to provide new sporting facilities to its students and to local children during the school holidays.

The new complex will feature a sprung timber sports hall with more than 300 retractable bleacher seats and a viewing gallery, able to accommodate regional and national sporting events, conventions, exhibitions and academic examinations.

Activity studios, squash courts, multi-functional spaces and changing rooms will also be built, while a pre-school complete with sensory, nature and hard play areas will accommodate up to 90 children aged six months to seven years old.

Paul Morris, director of facilities management, said: "The sports centre will be a fantastic development for the university and will enhance the sporting provision we already offer here for the students and staff in Preston.

"The facilities will be the best the city can offer and local school children will benefit when we open it out during the holidays, as we do with Preston Sports Arena."

Dr Adrian Ibbetson, academic director of sport, added: "The centre will be a top-of-the-range facility which will serve the health and fitness needs of the students and provide an excellent competition venue for our Students' Union clubs.

"It will significantly impact on the student experience in terms of recreation, health, well-being and competitive sport."

A planning application has been submitted to Preston City Council.