A REVAMP of West Oxford Community Centre will see the building gain a new kitchen and extra community space.

Building work is due to start in autumn at the popular community centre off Botley Road.

The building is not being extended but a renovation of existing rooms will create a new kitchen, one more community room and extra storage space.

The large changing rooms are being made smaller and the changing room’s showers ripped out to make the extra space.

West Oxford Community Association manager Keith Birnie said: “It is all positive from that point of view – it is what people were telling us they needed, particularly with regard to the separate kitchen. “They were sharing the kitchen with the cafe, which created some issues.

“We are reconfiguring the changing rooms because at the moment they are basically unused. “The biggest change is that there won’t be any showers, but people do not seem to use those – they go home and shower.”

The centre already has one large hall, a large room for about 30 people and two small seminar rooms.

Oxford City councillor for Osney and Jericho, Susanna Pressel, holds her councillor’s surgery every month at the centre.

She said: “It is brilliant. This is a very well used community centre and it is great to see it is coming up with ideas to make the building even more user-friendly inside.

“It gives people even more of what they want and I am glad the city council is supporting it. I think we should have another great celebration of the centre when the inside building work is finished, like the very successful opening in 2010.”

The new Oxford City Council-owned building opened in 2010 after moving from an old community centre in Binsey Lane.

The old doctor’s surgery which closed down a year ago is being turned into a new clinic for the Community Acupuncture Team.

The group of Oxford-based acupuncturists aim to offer affordable acupuncture to people in the community who need it.

The old surgery space has been used by artists as a studio but the Community Acupuncture Team is hoping to open in September.

The building work is due to start this autumn and be completed by January.