DETAILED plans reveal how Colchester’s Leisure World will be transformed by a £1.2million revamp.

An application has been submitted to Colchester Council which describes how the reception will be redesigned and the cafe extended on the ground floor.

Two squash courts will be lost to make way for a larger reception space, which will include self-service kiosks.

The kiosks will allow customers to swipe a card through a machine instead of being served by a staff member However, “welcome staff” will be at the entrance to encourage customers to try out different facilities and increase sales.

Cycling facilities will also be relocated from the front of the building, making way for the extended cafe.

The facelift at the Cowdray Avenue building also includes extending the leisure centre’s Activa Gym and spinning area and building a new multi-purpose room in a former bar.

If permission is granted, the work is due to start in the autumn and should be complete by April. The changes are part of the council’s leisure service review, which was agreed in March.

The aim is to improve services and facilities to generate more income for the council.

Last year the council spent £5.1million on leisure services and earned £4.3million. The council aims to save £5.8million over the next eight years.

As part of the review, the council is carrying out a 90-day consultation period with staff.

Ninety staff will see their job descriptions change under the revamp. The first redundancies are expected to be made in the autumn.