A new £7.8m leisure centre looks almost certain to be built, after the English Sports Council gave its support for the scheme in principle.

Despite an attempt by the Lottery Sports Fund to keep its decision secret, The Oxford Mail can reveal that supporters of the scheme have been given a crucial "amber light" in their bid to see the Phoenix Centre at Abingdon become a reality.

The English Sports Council has told the Vale of White Horse District Council that lottery support for the scheme is justified, subject to a number of issues being resolved.

The decision does not signify an irrevocable commitment, but it does provide a crucial breakthrough for supporters of the scheme in their bid to win £1.95m of Lottery funds.

Without financial support the scheme - to provide an eight-lane swimming pool, an indoor tennis centre with six courts, a health and fitness suite and possibly a sports hall - would have fallen through.

Vale staff and councillors are unwilling to discuss the latest developments, for fear of jeopardising relations with the sports council.

But Chief Leisure Services Officer Karen White said it was a welcome development. "We will be working closely with the English Sports Council to try and ensure a positive decision when it goes back to the Awards Panel," she said.

If The Phoenix is given the green light, the future of Abingdon's current leisure centre, the Old Gaol in Bridge Street, will have to be considered. The bid considered by the Lottery Sports Fund was the second to be submitted by the Vale.

Officers originally asked for £5.5m towards the scheme - more than half the original total cost of £9.8m.

However, when Government plans for a 'Sixth Good Cause' were announced with regards to the way lottery money is distributed, the council decided to re-submit its bid to give it a better chance of being successful.

The council has been optimistic since then that its efforts in trimming down its bid would be recognised.

Another major factor in favour of The Phoenix is the fact that Oxfordshire is thought to be the only county in the country without its own recognised indoor tennis centre - despite the fact that it own home-grown star, Tim Henman, has just been announced as the British No 1 in the latest world rankings.

The Lawn Tennis Association and its Oxfordshire branch are both supporting the scheme financially.

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