Demolition on Huddersfield’s old sports centre should begin in March next year.

Kirklees Council has applied for permission to flatten a total of 16 buildings around Southgate and Old Leeds Road following the collapse of its deal with Tesco.

The supermarket giant pulled out of an agreement to build a huge store on the sprawling site earlier this year.

The old sports centre site was intended to provide the setting for a new superstore for the retail giant.

It has been replaced by the new Huddersfield Leisure Centre at Springwood.

READ MORE: Huddersfield Leisure Centre proves a splash hit just two months after opening

But earlier this year, Tesco agreed to pay Kirklees more than £18m to get out of the deal and returned the land to council ownership.

The council has now submitted its plans to take down a host of old 1960s and 70s buildings, including the iconic 1961 built Lonsborough flats and the 1964 built Ibbotson flats.

Lonsbrough and Ibbotson flats were named after two Huddersfield sporting heroes – swimmer Anita Lonsbrough and athlete Derek Ibbotson. Residents in the two tower blocks were moved out in 2013 ahead of the Tesco proposal.

The third block, Richmond Flats, were revamped at a cost of more than £3m and have since been renamed Harold Wilson Court.

Take a look at our Richmond Flats gallery below.

The council says it hopes to start demolition on March 2 and complete the site clearance by September 4, 2016.

Other structures set to be knocked down include the Pine Street car park, the Ardor Engineering building behind the sports centre, the old Truck Force warehouse, former Calder Vets premises and a host of council buildings along Old Leeds Road including its IT hub.

It is thought some of the buildings on the site are likely to contain asbestos, which will have to be stripped out by specialists prior to demolition.

The council has not revealed the identity of any prospective buyers but the prime site is expected to generate keen interest once demolition is complete.

A poll on the Examiner website revealed readers are hoping for either an ice rink or live music venue.