A multi-million-pound sports village could be built in Bicester by the start of the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Cherwell District Council has given the thumbs up to a plan which would see brand new facilities for a range of sports.

The idea is to set aside 17 hectares of land for a £6m sports complex to be built along the town's new south west housing development.

Facilities would include: A synthetic floodlit football pitch, a floodlit six lane athletics track, tennis courts, a hard play area, a cricket pitch, three rugby pitches, three junior football pitches, a pavilion with changing rooms, conference, catering and meeting facilities and fitness and treatment rooms.

The completion date is planned for 2012, but this is dependent on when developers' start building homes.

Bicester Athletic Club chairman Steve Flynn said members of the club — based at Bicester and Ploughley Sports Centre in Queens Avenue — were delighted.

He said: "We firmly believe this sports village will enable many more youngsters in the town to get involved in sport.

"It will always, as far as us as a club is concerned, widen the range of facilities available in Bicester.

"We will be able to offer athletics to a whole range of age groups. I have seen the early plans and it is tremendous."

The district council would acquire the land as part of an agreement for the new Bicester housing development.

The development would include more than 1,500 new houses, a link road, two primary schools, a hotel and a park-and-ride scheme.

The houses have been earmarked for farmland between Bicester and Chesterton in the Cherwell Local Plan for several years.

The local authority would seek additional project funding from Sport England. George Reynolds, Cherwell's executive member for community, health and environment welcomed the news.

He said: "There is going to be a growth in sports participation. Coupled with a growing population, we want to be sure Bicester has first rate facilities to meet the demand."

Cherwell District Council is expected to work with Bicester Town Council, Oxfordshire County Council and local sports clubs to develop the sports village.

Town council leader Debbie Pickford said: "We are very pleased. We have been working on this for a very long time.

"It will encourage people of all ages to take part in sport."

David Hudson, Bicester Community College deputy headteacher, said: "Sport is very popular at the college and the proposed sports village should support and enhance the wide range of sporting opportunities we provide."