Major upgrade for Chipping Norton Leisure Centre after council investment

An artificial turf pitch will replace the existing Tarmac multi-use games area at the centre, based at Chipping Norton School, while the size of the gym will be increased by 60 per cent.

West Oxfordshire District Council cabinet members approved an investment of £100,000 for the all-weather pitch at a meeting yesterday (Wednesday, July 18).

The funds will be sourced from section 106 developer funding generated by a residential scheme in the town.

A further £10,000 of this cash will go towards the gym improvements which will also receive £244,000 of funding from the council’s leisure facilities operator GLL Better.

Cabinet member for communities, leisure and tourism, Cllr Jeanette Baker, said: “Chipping Norton Leisure Centre is hugely popular and this work will help meet growing demand from new members as well as improving facilities.

“It is great to see developer contributions making such a difference and I look forward to seeing the results in the near future."

A GLL spokesman said they are delighted to be working in partnership with the council to upgrade and expand the facilities at the leisure centre, which are expected to be open in September.

"These new facilities will also complement the recently refurbished squash courts," he said.

“As a charitable social enterprise, our surpluses are invested back into the communities we serve, providing affordable, accessible facilities, to get more people more active, more often.

“We are hugely excited by this project and we look forward to welcoming visitors to the new and improved facilities in September.”