New £1m football pitch funded by council

Councillor Tim Sumner said the new pitch was 'much needed' in the community

A "much needed" £1m football pitch will be funded by a district council.

West Witney Sports Ground will have a new pitch to "ensure grass roots football continues to grow", West Oxfordshire District Council announced.

The authority has secured section 106 funding from developers to pay for the pitch.

It comes two years after coaches in Witney said there were too few pitches in the area.

The district council voted at a meeting in Chipping Norton to allocate the money, which it received from housing developments near the sports ground.

Section 106 funding is given to authorities by developers for providing community and social infrastructure.

The pitch funding will be transferred to Witney Town Council, which will oversee the design, planning and build of the facility and long-term operation and maintenance of the pitch.

Councillor Tim Sumner said: “This is an exciting new development for the existing sports facility in the town. It will provide a much-needed all year-round pitch provision for the local clubs and the community to enjoy and benefit from.

“A state-of-the-art 3G pitch will allow more playing time than a traditional pitch due to the materials used. The facility could also see sports lighting installed, which means longer day to day usage along with all year-round matches.

The council confirmed the total cost for the project is estimated to be £1.2m to create a full sized adult 11v11 3G pitch.

It is now working to secure the remaining funding to begin work.