Mulalley welcomed Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales and Councillors Lester Hudson and Ian Corbett to the Atherton Leisure Centre site in Forest Gate to see the progress on the £14.7m redevelopment. The old building is being replaced by a progressive structure which will house two community swimming pools, as well as a gym, exercise studios, a crèche and café.

The foundations for the new centre have now been laid and steel frames are now being erected.

The new building will be modern and energy efficient, helping to reduce its running costs. It will feature a sustainable and eco-friendly system which will be used to convert waste heat into electricity.

The centre’s roof will also be used to harvest rainwater, helping to form a living surface covered in recycled soil, which will provide a habitat for plants and wildlife to flourish.

As part of the development, new homes will also be built on the site and work is expected to start on them later this year, with the new Atherton Leisure Centre scheduled to open in spring 2016.

Councillor Lester Hudson, cabinet member for finance, regeneration and planning, said: “It is good to see work progressing on the new centre, when completed this centre will be a fantastic new addition to our leisure offer and will provide enhanced services and the latest facilities for residents. The council remains committed to investing in services that are important to local people and delivering a high quality leisure centre is one of many ways in which Newham Council is achieving this.”

Mulalley Director Eamon O’Malley, said: “Work has been progressing well on this landmark redevelopment. This new leisure centre will be a credit to Newham providing state of the art leisure facilities for future generations to learn to swim and enjoy.”