WORK on a long-awaited £1.3m sports centre for Malvern will finally start in autumn 2006, it has been announced.

Planners granted permission for the project at Dyson Perrins High School in Yates Hay Road in April this year and it was initially hoped work would start this autumn.

However the scheme - a joint project between Malvern Hills District Council and Worcestershire County Council - was delayed as organisers were waiting for final confirmation a Lottery bid for £466,000 for the scheme had been successful.

The National Lottery has since confirmed the bid has been approved and the councils have been ploughing ahead with developing plans and specifications.

Now it has been revealed work will finally start on site on Saturday, September 9, with county council chairman Derek Prodger and district council chairman Val Myatt set to be at hand to cut the first sod in a special ceremony.

The scheme will see the school's current sports hall and gymnasium refurbished and a fitness suite created for community use.

New changing rooms and car parking will also be created for the centre, which will be for both school and community use.

The project is expected to take a year to complete and the school will remain open during the building works.

It follows hot on the heels of the new £1m learning resource centre, which opened at the school earlier this year.

The district council has contributed £384,000 and the county council £400,000.

Clive Smith, the district council's portfolio holder for community wellbeing, said the project was finally going to go ahead.

He added: "This is one of our priorities to get a new sports hall up-and-running and it will be a great community asset for the whole town once it's completed.

"There's been a lot of work going on at the school so the pupils are used to trudging around building work but obviously disruption will be kept to a minimum."