DELAYED plans for a £1.2m new community centre in Charlbury should be cemented within a month.

Charlbury Community Centre, to be built in Enstone Road, will include indoor sports facilities, a library, adult education services and meeting rooms.

Efforts to build the centre began 18 years ago. The £1.2m budget is now in place and it is estimated the centre will be open by mid-2015.

The Thomas Gifford Charity, which was created 150 years ago to manage the site it will be built on for commuity use, is leading the project.

Trustee Ian Cox said: “It’s very exciting that it's coming together now and we should be signing a funding agreement either this month or next.

“It has been more than 15 years since we started looking into trying to build a community centre. That we are so close now is brilliant.

“At the public consultation last month people were really supportive, and after such a long time people are keen to make sure this opportunity doesn’t fade away.

“Everyone is particularly looking forward to having sports facilities for things like indoor basketball, football and cricket – which is something the town really lacks.

“At the moment badminton is played at the Memorial Hall but you can’t hit the shuttlecock very high, because of the low ceiling.”

Architects are to be chosen to create the building design and drawings this summer, ahead of building work to start in mid-2014.

The project began in 1995 after Oxfordshire County Council demolished the former Spendlove School and sold the land to housing developers.

The school had been used for community activities and, to appease angry residents, the council promised £340,000 from the sale to provide educational facilities for the community.

The full £1.2m comes from the £340,000 council grant, £152,000 from community fundraising and the remainder from the sale of 10 apartments which will be built next to the centre.

Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley hosted a fundraising talk in Charlbury last year in aid of the centre. Sir Ben, who lives in nearby Spelsbury, spoke about his career and influences for the Desert Island Flicks event at the Memorial Hall.

The project almost came to fruition in 2010 but cuts forced the council to pull out from funding a planned library and adult education centre. When the trust proved it could run the facilities itself last year, County Hall agreed the money.