IT'S SMILES all round for community groups that were left in the lurch following the sudden closure of the Bullingdon Community Centre as it's set to reopen.

About 400 people feared the worst when Oxford City Council suddenly closed its doors in July over safety concerns.

But in a swift response from the council, workers have since installed nine temporary props to secure the site, at Peat Moors in Headington and announced it hopes to reopen on Tuesday.

Bullingdon Community Association secretary Richard Bryant said: "We are so pleased that we are going to be able to re-open the centre and we are hoping to do it on Tuesday.

"It really is a relief and will be such a relief to the dozens of people I have had calling me really upset about the potential closures – and understandably so.

"If it had closed, 13 or 14 groups would have had nowhere to go, including a Mencap group, which is attended by 50 or 60 disabled people."

When the centre abruptly closed the community association and its groups feared the hall would not reopen before the planned £500,000 redevelopment scheduled for next June.

Oxford City Council executive board member for culture and communities Dee Sinclair said: "Bullingdon Community Centre will be reopened to the public on Tuesday.

"We have now installed nine props into the main hall, and this week experts confirmed that the building is safe again for the public to use. "Meanwhile, work is progressing on the construction of a £500,000 new hall at the community centre.

"We have appointed architects and hope to submit a planning application before the end of the year.

"The new build will open in June next year."

The ageing community centre was originally built in 1948, it is the only community centre serving the Lye Valley and Wood Farm area.

In March Oxford City Council allocated the funding to rejuvenate the building with a particular focus on the main hall after surveys found cracks in the walls which had more recently deteriorated further.

About 18 community groups were left devastated by the sudden closure including hundreds of people involved in groups including three toddler groups, six for the over-60s and two karate clubs.

Mr Bryant added: "I am so pleased that the council has listened to us and taken our views on board.

"We are very grateful to the Oxford Mail for all of the publicity.

"It was positively influential and it helped us get the decision we wanted so, thank you."