About the Project

The West Witney Project represents the largest investment in this complex since it was acquired in 1979. The Project is an important part of the Council’s adopted Open Spaces Strategy.  The Project will be delivered in two phases:

1: the refurbishment of the West Witney Clubhouse and
2: the provision of a new works depot.

Council has previously agreed in principle that a loan should be taken out to part-fund the project

West Witney Clubhouse – background and summary business case

The clubhouse was built in 1950’s and has heartily served the local community for generations. The West Witney site was acquired by the Council in 1979, part-funded by a loan which has since been paid off.

Witney is a growing town that requires social facilities and this vital asset now requires renovation.

Witney Town Council is committed to delivering its Open Spaces Strategy and has a strategic remit to get people to move more and look after their health. Recreation grounds with modern facilitates attract and encourage all ages of the community to exercise through participation of their chosen sport, benefiting from better health and wellbeing.

The West Witney Recreational Ground is one of the biggest outdoor spaces the town has to offer with many sporting events and activities that include cricket, bowls, a projectile range, football, tennis, and park runs.

The clubhouse needs major refurbishment to maintain the integrity of the building, prolong its life expectancy and improve the energy efficiency and experience for users of the facility.

Additional detail regarding its use and project objectives:

• Currently hosts a substantial number of Witney’s Sports Teams & activities, covering 6x sports, with 30 teams and over 1,000 adult and child players including:
  • Tower Hill Football Club – Spartans Football Club – Witney Mills Football Club
  • Witney Swifts Cricket Club
  • Witney Mills Bowls Club & West Witney Bowls Club
  • Witney Tennis Club
  • Oxford Shooting Club
  • Park Run
• Hosts a variety of community groups, that include:
  • Inclusive Art Club
  • Nursery Social Club
  • Youth Clubs
  • Amateur Dramatics Club
• Over 9,000 people use this facility every month demonstrating the level of social value the clubhouse provides.
• Due to poor condition and aging facilities, some clubs and teams are now leaving, and memberships are declining year on year.
• A recent condition survey has identified the requirement of major refurbishment works; without intervention, the clubhouse will have to close within a few years.
• Witney Town Council’s has allocated £1,000,000 to this phase of the project. It aims to not only restore the social club to its former glory but to improve the facility and make it accessible to all, enabling the club to serve the community for many years to come.  The Council will do this by:
  • Making the building structurally sound and create a modern, attractive appearance.
  • Renovating the exterior using environmentally friendly and energy efficient materials.
  • Ensuring the building is environmentally friendly by installing solar panel roofing, energy saving windows/doors and fuel-efficient heating systems.
  • Redesigning and refitting the aging changing rooms to create modern, efficient and compliant spaces for young and adult players. This also includes an electronic access system that enables the council to control access and improve the management of this element of the building.
  • Redesigning and refitting the interior to create a modern and welcoming social and event areas.
  • Creating a fully inclusive building that is accessible for everyone, including the installation of a disability lift.

• Upon completion of the project our objectives are to:
  • Retain existing adult and youth sports teams and community clubs.
  • Attract new sports teams, especially youth teams.
  • Promote inclusive and female sports teams and players.
  • Welcome back clubs who have left (including Darts, Pool, Crib, Aunt Sally and Scouts)
  • Ensure the Social Club serves the wider community by raising awareness and promoting the clubs services to local residents (especially nearby), community groups, local charities and schools.
  • Maximise the social value, by welcoming new community groups and attracting new members, by offering cost effective room hire and warm/welcoming atmosphere.
  • Regain status as the “go-to” place in Witney.

New Depot – background and summary business case

 Witney Town Council is responsible for maintaining Witney’s open spaces, sports fields, public halls, cemeteries and associated assets.  The council have a dedicated work force made up of 12 operatives, many of whom have a vast amount of experience and tenure with the council.  The service provided by our workforce is regularly praised by residents proactively and through resident surveys for the quality of their work making Witney a clean and pleasant place to live.

Up until February 2024 the operations team worked out of an aging, purpose-built depot at the Leys Recreation Ground.  A decision was made several years ago to vacate the premises and make the area available to a new project that would rejuvenate the whole of the Leys area into a modern, sports and social facility for the benefit of the community.  Consequently, the operational team had to vacate the depot into temporary accommodation whilst the council planned the creation of a new depot.

Additional detail regarding its use and project objectives:

• The council vacated existing depot to make way for Courtside Hub project, which is a new community focussed sports facility bringing a range of much needed activities for all ages to Witney.
• The council is spending in excess of £40k p.a. on rental costs for temporary welfare, maintenance and storage facilities. The Council has explored whether there are suitable sites where these facilities could be rented but this has not been found to be viable.
• The new depot will enable the operational team to work more efficiently, by reducing the need to travel around Witney to different locations, which will enhance the services the council provide to residents.
• The new facility will improve workforce morale and ensure the Council continues to retain staff.
• The new depot will also solve a current storage issue of inside & outside materials and assets, which are currently scattered around Witney.
• In recent years the Town Council has been taking on more sites and facilities which have been created as the town has grown. Following the Government’s English Devolution White Paper and the prospect of major local government reorganisation it is highly likely that in the future the Council will work with partner councils to take on more responsibilities . The new depot has been designed to accommodate this growth with a potentially growing workforce and new equipment storage.

Financing the West Witney project

The budget for the West Witney Project is as follows:

Expenditure:

WWSSC building refurbishment                                                        £1,000,000

New build outside services/ works depot                                   £850,000

Total Project budget                                                                                   £1,850,000

Funding:

Loan                                                                                                                    £1,250,000

s.106 contributions (WWSSC building)                                        £301,975

Council earmarked reserves                                                                £297,509

Revenue                                                                                                            £516

Total funding                                                                                                  £1,850,000

The plans have been discussed as they have been developed over a number of years and details of the project and plans for borrowing and loan repayment have been available to residents from an early stage. The project has been discussed at council meetings and the annual town meeting and with key stakeholders.

Conducting a formal public consultation is a requirement of the loan application process. It helps to ensure Witney Council taxpayers are aware of the Councils’ intentions and can voice their opinion. Consequently a public Consultation was conducted between 16 May and 13 June 2025, in accordance with the guidance issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the National Association of Local Councils.

Consultation

The consultation has now closed but here is a round up of the data we collected.

The electronic consultation survey was conducted online and promoted through our website, social media channels and public noticeboards. Physical leaflets were also made available.

A total of 539 responses were received in relation to the consultation, which is an excellent response rate.

The results were as follows:

Are you in favour of improvements to West Witney Clubhouse and the building of a new works depot?

YES-     509 (95%)

NO –     30 (5%)

 Are you in favour of the Town Council taking out a loan of £1,250,516and repaying the loan over the next 40 years rather than raising the Council Tax significantly for current residents as explained above?

YES –    493 (92%)

NO:      6 (8%)