An £800, 000 project to improve the pool area at the "ageing" King Alfred Leisure Centre is set to begin despite plans for a completely new facility.

The work, which has been given funding by Brighton and Hove City Council, will begin on Monday to "prolong the life of the pool" and "improve the environment for swimmers".

This is despite the fact the leisure centre will be closed and replaced with a new facility in the near future.

The works will involve replacing the air handling unit that pumps air around the poolside, as well as the ventilation ducts and heating systems.

It is not set to be completed until late September.

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Councillor Alan Robins, chair of the culture, heritage, sports, tourism and economic development committee, said: "The current King Alfred pools are over 40 years old and much of the essential equipment and building fabric which keeps the centre up and running, is now coming to the end of its serviceable life.

"The ventilation duct and associated heating systems need to be replaced and we have identified the necessary funding.

"We will do everything we can to keep the centre open for as long as possible, so residents continue to enjoy swimming, while we progress our exciting plans to build a new leisure centre.”

The council has said that it is spending this money to make sure swimmers can still access the facility until a new one is ready.

A council spokesman said: "It’s well known that we expect to make a decision in the summer on which of the two shortlisted sites we will take forward as the base for a new leisure centre.

"It’s also well known that it could be quite a long time before a new leisure centre opens.

"This is precisely why we’re putting such a large amount of money into keeping the current King Alfred operational.

"But we are absolutely committed to delivering a new leisure centre for the west of the city to replace the current, ageing King Alfred."

At the moment, there are 1,200 children currently taking swimming lessons at the centre and over 17,000 swim visits are recorded monthly.

The scheme will include some overnight work.

There are currently no planned closures of the pool during this time.