PEOPLE in East Oxford have reacted positively to a planned multi-million-pound redevelopment of Oxford University’s Iffley Road sports centre.

That is the claim of the university’s sports director Jon Roycroft, who will oversee a planning application for the revamp to be submitted to Oxford City Council in the next few weeks.

The detailed plan has been drawn up following consultation with local residents.

A scale model of the new buildings, which will surround the iconic running track where Sir Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four minute mile in 1954, has also been produced.

Mr Roycroft said: “We are trying to catch up with the fact that we have fallen a long way behind other equivalent universities in terms of providing good indoor sports facility space for students, staff and the greater community.”

Originally a figure for the development was set at £19m. Now the building costs are expected to be in the region of £30m, depending on when work starts.

The scheme will see the facilities growing from one, four-court sports hall to three.

A gym four times larger than the existing area will be created, as will a martial arts dojo which is twice the size of the existing one.

There will be four, rather than two, cricket nets. Other new facilities will include a fencing area and a room for pistol, rifle and archery shooting.

The additional space means there will be more opportunity for community involvement.

There are already 450 non- university members of the gym, and 350 of the swimming pool, but because the centre is working to capacity there is little scope for new members.

Mr Roycroft said the aim was to offer free, off-peak school use of the sports hall, plus a discounted membership scheme for people who walked, cycled or used buses to get to the Iffley Road centre, rather than the car.

He added that feedback from the community had been largely positive, adding: “We are quite confident that although it is quite a big increase, the design has been very sensitive to minimise its encroachment on the environment.

“Although the main building will be higher and wider, the view will replace the existing dingy sports complex with something more attractive and modern. We think it will be an improvement.

“In general terms, people were positive, although there were some concerns about the height of the building, light pollution and the necessity for it, but we think there was a general acceptance for the scheme.”

No precise dates have yet been set, but work could start during the 2012 Olympics.