A Witney council chief has claimed only a “hardcore” of people are against a proposed move of sports facilities in the town.

The town council has proposed selling West Witney Sports and Social Club, off Burford Road, for housing to finance the creation of modern and larger sports facilities off Downs Road.

Witney Town councillor David Harvey said all the current members of the club were in favour of the scheme.

It is thought the move could generate £7m for the council to spend on the town’s sports facilities.

Mr Harvey responded to a question about the plan at the council’s Annual Town Meeting at Langdale Hall last Wednesday.

Andrew Coles, of Farmington Drive, said West Witney Sports and Social Club was not mentioned in Conservative literature at the last election and had not been put to the voters of Witney.

Mr Harvey responded: “The town has a responsibility to look not just at what we have got now but to look to the future. It became increasingly obvious that the size of the facilities we have in Witney are not going to be large enough for the future sports needs of the families of Witney.

“The site that West Witney Sports and Social Club occupies is a very crowded site and it cannot be expanded.

“The town council has undertaken that we will consider moving if various conditions are met.

“There will need to be a significant uplift in the number of pitches and quality of pitches and sufficient money left over to provide upgrading of the other facilities we have in Witney, and to provide a sinking fund for the upkeep of all these facilities, as well as the replacement facilities.”

He said that the planned 1,000 home estate to the west of the town meant that the facilities will not be out of the community.

He added: “When you speak to individual clubs that actually use the facilities there at the moment, they have all been very supportive of a move.

“But there is a hardcore of people for whom nothing you wish to provide will be big enough or good enough.”