A SPORTS centre in Basildon is set to receive a £1 million investment to replace the “inoperable” moveable swimming pool floor which has been broken for three years.

Basildon Sporting Village opened in May 2011, and the 50-metre competition pool has been a major part of the facility’s offering.

The pool, which hosted the Japanese swimming teams for their training prior to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has the largest moveable floor in the country.

But it has been stuck at the depth of 1.14 metres for the past three years due to faults, and attempts to fix it have failed.

The report states: “The operation of moving the floor to various positions relies on the operating motors to work in synchronisation.

“If there is a fault, or the motors are not synchronised, the floor will jam into a position.

“These faults have been continuously occurring since the centre’s opening and have been very problematic for the operation of the pool.

“The floor was left at a depth of 1.14 metres three years ago whilst investigations for possible solutions were explored.”

The 1.14 metre depth allows for the continuation of swimming lessons, aquacise classes, public swimming, swimming club training sessions and galas.

However, it does not allow for the use of the full 50-metre length for long course galas at regional or national level, which is an essential part of the legacy of the 2012 Olympics.

As a result, the preferred option is to install a new floatable, moveable floor which operates on a hydraulic system at a cost of £1,065,295.

The supplier, Variopool, has stated that the new floor should have a life span of approximately 20 to 25 years provided that the appropriate annual servicing and maintenance is undertaken as required.

Craig Rimmer, councillor responsible for economic stimulus and tourism, said: “It is very important.

“People have messaged me from other parts of Essex asking about it as children at swim meets have been using the pool for racing.

“So, it is really important to get done. When the sporting village was thought about as concept, there was money put aside for this purpose, which is drawn upon for maintaining the pool.

“It is a really modern feature and good to have that feature. So, it is good news.”