Lancaster University has unveiled artist's impressions of the state-of-the art facility it wants to create as part of a £300m project.

The centre, which will be open to the public and replace the current sports facility, has taken two years to develop and includes a 10m climbing wall designed with input from mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington.

Work is due to start in September and be completed in 2010.

The centre will also include an eight-lane swimming pool with a "floating floor" which can vary the depth, an eight-court sports hall equipped for indoor activities with electronic scoring, a 90-station gym, four squash courts and a multi function space/dance studio to accommodate dance classes, martial arts activity and fencing.

Director of sport Kim Montgomery said: "The new centre will be a great facility for everyone. We have 13,000 people through our doors each week, half of whom are non-university users."

The centre will be built on the site of the campus's pavilion.

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