North Somerset Council (NSC) has approved plans for the £48m redevelopment of the Tropicana centre in Weston-super-Mare.

The council's West Area planning committee gave the Lifestation@Tropicana project the go ahead after delaying the decision for two months. Plans for the complex include a six-lane, 25m indoor swimming pool, a multiplex cinema, a 20-lane bowling alley and a 96-bedroom hotel. Retail units and a restaurant are also among the proposals which were unanimously passed by committee members.

Developer Henry Boot is behind the plans, and it is now hoped that work can begin on the project in late 2009. It is expected to take between 18 months and two years to complete, and the leisure and entertainment complex could open in 2011. Elfan Ap Rees, deputy leader of NSC, said: "After years of waiting and indecision this is a positive move forward. It may not be to everyone's liking, but Weston is growing rapidly and cannot stay in the past."

Henry Boot's Craig Mathias said: "We have worked hard with stakeholders and the public to provide a viable scheme that provides year-round leisure facilities for the people of Weston." However, the application is still subject to conditions, and a section 106 agreement is yet to be finalised between Henry Boot and NSC. The project could also have to go to a public enquiry as the plans have had to be referred to the communities secretary, Hazel Blears.