It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give Largs a world class sports facility - and one which is unique in the UK.

Inverclyde Sports Centre principal John Kent invited the News to see the impressive £12million plans.

And while acknowledging the difficult decisions to knock down the iconic reception building and close the popular fitness suite, Mr Kent said that the opportunity for such an investment could not be passed up.

The project was initially developed to modernise the accommodation at the centre, as the condition of the old hotel had become more and more expensive to maintain.

The new accomodation would go a long way towards making the centre easier to access for those with disability.

However, the sports redevelopment did not come until relatively recently - thanks to the Commonwealth Games, the new Largs campus, and an increased focus on bringing together abled and disabled athletes closer in an ‘inclusive’ facility.

With the new accommodation laid out, the decision was made to upgrade the sports facilities to reflect the quality of the new accommodation.

There have been concerns raised by the gym users at the centre, after they were told the fitness suite would close for a year.

The existing suite will be replaced by a dedicated ‘personal performance’ area, which will provide a greater range of equipment and facilities. Mr Kent admitted that it would unlikely that the centre could hope to attract the same level of funds in future years.

This is largely due to present circumstances.

Of the £12m, around half is coming from the Commonwealth Games Legacy fund. A further £3m from North Ayrshire Council for the future use of land and facilities at the new Largs Campus is another significant contribution.

Key to the redevelopment is the unique combination of fully accessible accomodation and sporting facilities.

Mr Kent explained that there were other centres which may have accessible accommodation, but not the sports equivalent and vice versa.

Inverclyde will include both elements, which will be a major attraction to sporting groups all over the UK.

He also pointed out that the centre would be in a much better position to host events such as the recent basketball camp, which had to use Largs Academy as well as Inverclyde. We will be speaking to local businesses, as they can benefit from the increase in users during events as well. It is a very exciting prospect.” Although there are no detailed designs laid out at this stage, the centre and sportscotland have been looking at some modern examples from across the UK.

As you can see in the indicative images, the aim is for a bright, open centre, with a ‘social’ aspect, allowing visitors who aren’t using the sports facilities to sit down in the proposed cafe, for example.