Plans for a £2 million sports development at Accrington Academy have been unveiled – thanks to a £1.5 million donation from a mystery benefactor.

School bosses want to build a new swimming pool and a £350,000 all-weather pitch under the plans which have been submitted to Hyndburn Council. The new facilities will also be made available to other schools and the wider community.

They have welcomed the anonymous donation, which would cover the entire cost of the new pool building.

Principal Andrew Bateman said: "We are extremely grateful to the benefactor for the confidence he has shown in the local community and its ongoing regeneration. He wished to remain anonymous and doesn’t want any publicity. There is a real need for another swimming facility in the local area and we see many of our pupils coming to us lacking in confidence in the water.

"As an academy we specialise in sports and it is our aim for all pupils to be able to swim a length of the pool, and we will also be opening the pool up to primary schools and the wider community to help meet the demand that is out there.

The academy, which specialises in sports, was opened in September 2008 on the site of the former Accrington Moorhead Sports College and currently houses around 1,150 pupils.

The plans have been drawn up by Leeds-based company DJ Curtis Architects, and boast a six-lane 25 metre swimming pool within a single storey building as well as the construction of a floodlit all-weather, full-size football pitch surrounded by a three-metre high mesh fence.

Will Ames, director of business and operational services at Accrington Academy, spelled out how the new facilities would be available to the whole community.

He said: "We will be offering the swimming facilities to other primary schools during school hours and to local swimming clubs out of school hours, which means Hyndburn Sports centre will be able to allocate more time to the general public.

"The pitch will also be available for use by other schools and for private hire outside school hours, we have also reached an agreement with Accrington Stanley Community Trust who will use the pitch should planning permission be granted."

If granted approval by the council’s planning committee, the pool will be open from 5am until 9pm on weekdays and from 9am to 5.30pm on weekends and bank holidays.

The all-weather pitch would be available for public use until 9.30pm on weekdays and from 9am to 5.30pm on weekends and bank holidays.

A council consultation into the plans will take place until Friday, November 26.

If the council receives any objections the application will be considered by the planning committee on December 8.