Plymouth City Council has appointed design and planning group Arup to create the £44m Life Centre, a new sports and leisure complex in the city's Central Park.

Arup, which created the the $100m ($79m) Water Cube aquatics centre for the Beijing Olympics,was appointed along with the project's lead designers SMC Charter Architects, part of SMC Group.

They will work with property consultants EC Harris and the council to manage the scheme.

The Life Centre will feature a full size ice rink and spectator area, a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool with a diving pool and adry-side diving facility, as well as a leisure pool and an eight-rink bowling facility.

The plans also include a climbing area, a 12-court sports hall, a 100-station fitness and health suite, a multi-purpose studio, health clinics, a café and a créche.

Vivien Pengelly, leader of the council, said: “The Life Centre has been a long time in the planning and we are delighted to finally see this vision becoming a reality.

“This is the biggest investment in leisure this city has ever seen and the Life Centre will be one of the best facilities of its kind in the country – a regional centre of excellence for swimming and diving, a top training venue and a citywide hub of sports, leisure and healthy activities for people of all ages.”

Councillor Glenn Jordan, the council's cabinet member for Healthy Communities and Leisure, said: "Both SMC and Arup have worked on some very high-profile leisure schemes and are recognised experts in their field."

Earlier this year the council failed to win a one-off £25m or a £50m lottery grant from the Living Landmarks fund. Although the project's financing has not been disclosed it does feature commercial elements and the council said there are other funding options.

The SMC and Arup team are expected to begin designing the facility in view of submitting a planning application this Winter. Construction is scheduled to start in 2009 with the expectation of being completed in 2011.