Councillors look set to back the demolition of Kingsway Leisure Centre to make way for a new housing development including elderly accommodation.

A meeting of full council takes place on Thursday where members are recommended to sign off £750,000 to bulldoze the centre with a view to marketing the land to developers.

A new leisure centre is currently under construction on Moor Lane and is expected to open next spring leaving Kingsway - which was built in the 1970s and later extended in the 1980s - surplus to requirements.

The council now wants to make the land, as well as that vacated by the now demolished former law courts, police station and Broseley House, available for development.

Dubbed 'Kingsway Quarter', it would be a 'residential-led' scheme and feature elderly accommodation, with a design intended to 'improve access' to the wider town centre.

The council would also work with neighbouring Riverside College, with apprentices and students being provided with opportunities to work on the project.

A report to councillors, said: "This unlocks the final parcel of land required to enable disposal of Kingsway Quarter for comprehensive redevelopment. The only remaining encumbrance on the land disposal being the need to demolish the leisure centre building following its relocation."

The report added that since the Ministry of Justice closed the law courts in 2011, the council has been working to assemble the Kingsway Quarter site.The work included moving the police station to Gerrard Street and constructing the new leisure centre at Moor Lane, which is set to cost around £29m.

The demolition would be funded by capital cash - which is specifically earmarked for building and other infrastructure projects and can not be used to fund council services.

The report said once demolition was approved diggers could move in next spring.

It added: "For the demolition and site clearance to proceed as soon as the site is vacated, to ensure that the risk of antisocial behaviour (ASB) is minimised, Halton Borough Council needs to start commissioning work now."

It added: "Any delay risks ASB in the building following its decommissioning and ultimately a delay in the site being offered to market."