A Hove leisure centre has been fitted out with a half a million pound gym.
The gym at the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Kingsway, Hove, has been kitted out with more than 40 new items.
Brighton and Hove City Council said that the exercise had cost £450,000 and put the space formerly occupied by the disused café to good use.
Previously, the King Alfred had a gym in a different part of the building and a separate spinning studio.
The building and its facilities, including the swimming pool, had for years been maintained as cheaply as possible because the council intended to replace it with flats and a new leisure centre.
The scheme won planning permission when the council was controlled by Labour but the financial backers pulled out shortly after the credit crunch just over two years ago.
Councillor David Smith, the council’s Conservative cabinet member for recreation, said: “We promised to improve the King Alfred in the current building and this is what we’re delivering.
“This will become the biggest and best public leisure centre in the city, encouraging local people to get fit as the nation turns its attention to sports and the London Olympics.
“It will offer the best possible value in these hard-pressed times with no need for expensive memberships.”
The new gym is due to open on Monday January 24.
