COMMUNITY groups have said they are astonished that Oxford City Council did not know about a quarry underneath their shared centre.

Clubs and societies which use Bullingdon Community Centre in Headington have said the quarry – which has now delayed a £500,000 renovation of the building – has been public knowledge for years.

The centre in Peat Moors was set to benefit from works by the council next month, but those were thrown into uncertainty when surveyors found that the site sits on an old quarry.

The discovery has also pushed the project costs up by as much as £200,000, forcing the council to 'review its options' for the whole scheme.

Members of the Bullingdon Community Association, who look after the centre, wrote on their website: “The fact that the community centre is built on an old quarry is not news. It has been known about by local residents and the council for years.”

Chairman Steve Dawe added: “It’s extraordinary: we fail to see how the same council who own the land didn’t know that there was a quarry.

“And, since the city council is involved and they have done lots of renovations, we fail to see how the original estimate was a ball park figure: it was always going to cost more than half a million.

"They’re telling us ‘oh, it’s too expensive’ yet they approved designs which will up the cost.”

The hall is currently used by 15 groups weekly, including a swap shop, karate class, creative writing courses and elderly social groups.

Oxford City Council denied knowing about the quarry.

Spokesman Tom Jennings said: “The quarries around Headington date back hundreds of years, and were then, over decades, filled in and built over. Bullingdon Community Centre was built by the local community in the 1940s – long before Oxford City Council or planning permission existed.”

He added that the six-foot-deep quarry cavity – now filled with landfill material – would need to be filled in to stabilise the site, which would add substantially to the current budget.

The council is now halfway through a review of options for the site, which will be presented with a new timetable ‘as soon as they are available'.

Council leader Susan Brown said: “I share the disappointment from users of the community centre about the delay.

"Once we have reviewed the detailed surveyor’s report we will share the options with the community association.

"We will support them in every way we can.”