A blueprint for the £18m upgrade of Partington Sports Village has been submitted to planners.

Trafford council has applied to its own planning authority for the revamp thanks to a windfall from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

Plans include a two-storey extension, the reconfiguration of a multi-use games area (MUGA), additional car parking, external lighting, cycle shelters and a bin store at the Chapel Lane facility.

A design and access statement submitted on behalf of the council by architect company Ellis Williams says the project will improve the sports hall, pool, gym, and changing facilities along as well as creating a new extension to the front that will house a public cafe, fitness suite and additional studio/community spaces.

It goes on: “This extension will provide a new ‘shop-window’ to the sports village, creating a more welcoming frontage that will have a greater impact from the Chapel Lane site entrance and the new pedestrian access from Warburton Lane.

“The proposal looks to enhance the current leisure offer to encourage further participation, as well as at the same time help foster a greater sense of community. The design has been underpinned by the council’s ethos of driving sport and physical activity across Trafford, inspiring and encouraging everyone to lead a more active and healthier lifestyle.”

The project is one of more than 100 projects across the UK to receive a share of the £2.1bn from the Levelling Up Fund to create jobs and boost economic growth.

“It is Trafford council’s intention that this windfall will be used to significantly improve the health and leisure offer for residents in Partington and enable Partington Sports village to remain a leading facility and football hub in Trafford,” the statement said.

The sports facilities at Partington are run by Trafford Leisure, which is wholly owned by Trafford council.

Its chief executive, Joe Cherrett, said: “Partington Sports Village is a fantastic facility for our local community. It’s used and loved by so many local clubs and groups, and provides a great opportunity for residents to engage in physical activity. This significant investment into the venue will future-proof these opportunities for the long-term.”  

Partington Sports Village consists of a number of buildings and outdoor sports facilities that include the leisure centre which borders the boundary of Broadoak School and is operated jointly by the Dean Trust and Trafford Leisure. 

The building includes a sports hall, swimming pool, climbing wall, wet and dry changing facilities and a fitness/gym suite two third-generation artificial turf pitchs, the first of which was originally part of a £1.6m investment into the facilities at the Sports Village in 2008.