Leicester City Council is expected to agree plans to demolish the city's historic Bowstring Bridge in private discussions this week.

A secret report leaked to the Leicester Mercury shows a deal is now in place to help De Montfort University build a swimming pool and sports centre in the West End.

Today, the council's cabinet is expected to agree to spend up to £472,000 demolishing the Victorian bridge by January.

It is also thought they will agree to sell the remainder of the viaduct, in Duns Lane, and adjacent land to the university for an initial £1 fee.

The report, entitled "Sale of land and viaduct at Duns Lane" says the university will then knock down the remainder of the viaduct, demolish the Pump and Tap pub and apply to build a £6m sports centre there. The university will then give a second payment of about £250,000 to the council for the land. Another payment of £500,000 will also be made as part of a planning agreement.

Both parties say the sports centre will be available for public use, but it is not clear to what extent.

Thousands of people have opposed the plan to knock down the bridge and the pub since it was first suggested in 2005. An online Facebook group called Save the Pump and Tap and Braunstone Gate Bridge currently has 3,089 members, and an online petition on the Prime Minister's website has 1,295 signatures.

Campaign founder Lee Mullen said: "If the council goes ahead with this demolition, it deliberately flies in the face of public opinion. They may as well stick two fingers up at the people whose interests they are meant to be serving.

"Leicester has more than 2,000 years of history, but the planners seem to have no appreciation of the fact that architectural history is what gives a city character, and the people that live in it a sense of place."

Mr Mullen said in "any other city" a landmark such as the Bowstring Bridge would be "cherished".

He said: "The loss of the bridge and arches would be a disaster, but also destroying the Pump and Tap, itself a fine Victorian building and a hub for West End residents, is simply appalling."

The bridge was built in 1897 to support the Great Central Railway. Now the only hope for the thousands of campaigners who want to save it is an application already underway to get the bridge listed.

Leicester Civic Society says a decision is imminent from English Heritage – and if the application fails, it is "game over".

Civic society chairman Stuart Bailey said: "If it is listed, the council will have to apply to have it de-listed, and they won't want to do that.

"The council seem intent to carry out these decisions in private and not stand by them in public. They are selling off our heritage, and that is a real tragedy."

Last year, the city council won a court case to close a footpath running over the bridge. That paved the way for this latest decision to be considered.

Patrick Kitterick, city council cabinet member for regeneration, said the item was only being heard in private because it contained prices.

He said: "It is not a secret. You can't just go and remove a bridge in the middle of the night. It is being discussed in private because the document includes the price of selling land. That's always been our policy and there will be more opportunities for people to have their say.

"We cannot afford to restore and maintain the bridge because this runs into millions. In turn, we have the opportunity to have a swimming pool and sports centre a stone's throw from the city centre.

"A sports centre in that location would be massively popular with the people of Leicester and the West End.

"We are getting good value for money because the city would be getting a £6m sports facility and it won't cost the local taxpayer a penny.

"On opening day we will see how unpopular our decision was then."

The sports complex would include a 25-metre swimming pool, a sports hall with six courts, a gym and a fitness suite.

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