Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre plans revised after costs rise

The initial plans to improve the Outdoor Sports Centre in Southampton were approved in 2022.

Plans for a multimillion-pound redevelopment of an outdoor sports centre have been revised because of spiralling costs.

Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre in Bassett is due to see new artificial grass pitches, cycle track and clubhouse as part of a £30m revamp.

The city council approved the plans in 2022, but said the costs had risen due to pressures in the building industry.

It said the plans would be "simplified" with the changes to the layout.

The council said some aspects of the revamp plans would be 'simplified'

Planned features for the sports centre, which dates from 1938, include a new ski lodge, community hub, three floodlit artificial grass pitches, cycle track, athletics clubhouse and many other features.

It has not revealed the amount the projected cost of the project had risen by, but the council said the budget would not cover "market fluctuations" in the building industry.

Officers blamed supply problems caused by "Covid-19, Brexit and geo-political issues".

Additional ducting for all car parking spaces has also added to the costs.

Changes now proposed include reducing the size of the proposed hub, cutting the number of covered tennis courts from three to two, changing the alpine lodge design, moving the learner slope and changing the materials used.

The city council said the changes "do not diverge significantly" from the original masterplan of facilities proposed in the 2021 public consultation.

The project includes a community hub building

After cabinet members backed the changes, the council is due to submit proposals for the family zone and design changes to planners in March.

The family zone would include outdoor gym equipment, a skateboard area, a cycling pump track, a children's play area and a splash pad.

The scheme has secured external funding of £30m, including £20m from the government's Levelling Up Fund and £4m from the Football Foundation.

Work is due to start in the autumn.