We’ve won! Delight as sports ground is saved

The West Witney Sports Ground in Burford Road was earmarked for development, but town councillors voted on Monday to abandon their plans to sell it off.

Instead, the facility is to be revamped and improved.

Liam Walsh – the spokesman for the Witney West Users Group, which represents the 10 sports clubs and hundreds of members who use the site – welcomed the decision.

The 44-year-old, from Burford Road, said: “We now have the opportunity to build something for future generations rather than just sticking something up for the next couple of years. We are all really pleased and I welcome the reverse in strategy on behalf of hundreds of people across many clubs.

“We have a number of different options to keep the place up and running, like knocking down the social area and changing rooms for something fit for the future.”

Witney town councillor Ben Woodruff, who put forward the motion to scrap the plans, said: “It is great news. They are guaranteed they have a home now and can start applying for different types of funding.

“My opinion is that the social building needs to be demolished and rebuilt. It is quite an old and decrepit place.

“There is no point throwing money at it when we can build something better and more eco-friendly.

“It is a big area and one of the issues is the car parking – we can make better use of the space. All these options and issues will be investigated.”

The building is set in the grounds of four small and three large football pitches, four tennis courts, a shooting range, a cricket pitch and a bowling green.

Mr Woodruff said he hoped work could start in 2014 and developer funding, grants and council reserves will help pay for the £500,000 project.

The town council is to receive £250,000 from the developers of 1,000 homes to be built west of the town and has £200,000 reserves for sports.

The plans will need to go through a feasibility study/ consultation phase before architects can be brought in.