TWO multimillion-pound sporting projects in south Essex have reached another milestone.

The ambitious £38million sporting village in Basildon is taking shape, with steel framework now in place.

While the external work on the 25-metre swimming pool at Garon Park in Southend has been completed.

About 1,100 tonnes of steel have been erected at Gloucester Park in Basildon, finishing the large frame for the sports complex that builders started putting up in February.

The Basildon Council project is due to open in April 2011, in time to be used as a potential training camp for international teams going to the 2012 Olympics in Stratford, East London.

Roofing the structure will be the next task for workers at the site.

Kevin Blake, councillor for leisure and arts, said the complex was progressing on time and budget.

He said: “Every time I go down there I’m just delighted. When you visit you realise how amazing and enormous it will be.

“It’s a huge scheme and it’s not just a project, it is something that will be beneficial to everyone in the district.”

When finished, it will feature a 50-metre swimming pool that can split into two pools, a teaching pool, gymnastics centre, eight-court sports hall, fitness suite, exercise studios, meeting rooms, creche and cafe, climbing wall, five-a-side football pitches and a new athletics grandstand for 750 people.

The external work at the £13.5million swimming pool built at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre has been completed and work continues inside. The pool will feature a 25-metre eight-lane swimming pool, a leisure pool with water slides, water sprays and a small fountain.

Swimmers will also be able to take advantage of a dry diving training area complete with a harness and trampolines, as well as a world-class diving tower.

Southend councillor responsible for culture, Derek Jarvis, said: “The construction of the pool is well on its way and everything is running to schedule to be completed by mid to late October.

“At the moment we are in the middle of doing the floor tiling and other things to finish it off.

“But if you drive past the site you will see that good progress is being made.”