AMBITIOUS plans to revamp the heart of Kidlington have moved a step closer to fruition following a funding bid from community leaders.

The parish council plans for Exeter Close include expanding the pavilion by the football pitch, refurbishing the tennis courts, constructing new footpaths and cycle routes, and buying equipment for multimedia projects - at a cost of £250,000.

And fundraisers made their bid for half that sum with a presentation to a panel from the Oxfordshire Market Towns Network on Thursday.

Parish chairman Chris Pack said he wanted to create a new heart to the village, with better integration between the shopping centre and the leisure and community focus of Exeter Close.

He said: "It will be fantastic for the community.

"The panel was very impressed with our presentation. We are over the first hurdle and reasonably confident.

"Our proposals must now be appraised by representatives from the South East England Development Agency in March."

People walking or cycling from behind Exeter Close to Oxford Road currently use a badly lit footpath that runs alongside the site. But if new paths through Exeter Close itself are approved, the old path could be closed.

The council also wants to improve the visibility of Exeter Hall from the main road by creating a new entrance.

Mr Pack said: "This will be significant in integrating Exeter Close into the High Street area of the village and help create a civic heart."

Meanwhile, the pavilion, which already has planning permission for an extension, is set to double in size so it can host county table tennis matches and provide better facilities for football teams.

Parish clerk Trish Redpath, who has been instrumental in the funding bid, said: "The pavilion is very broken-down - we have been sticking it together, really."

Aubrey Hughes, treasurer of Kidlington Table Tennis Club which has more than 70 players, said the expansion would give the club the venue it deserved.

The current pavilion has room for only one table. The new building, however, would house three full-size tables. Mr Hughes said: "It would be absolutely fantastic - we have our fingers crossed.

"We have probably been the most successful club in the county for many years now, but when you are successful, you attract more people and we just don't have the facilities."

A new pavilion would also free up the small hall at Exeter Hall to be adapted for a community cinema and multimedia facilities for the young.

The Exeter Close plans form part of a long-term programme of improvements, which include redeveloping the health centre, setting up a One-Stop Shop for public services, better provision for youth activities and improved traffic calming along Oxford Road.