OXFORD Ice Rink will undergo a £700,000 overhaul in November in a bid to secure its long-term future.

The centre, in Oxpens Road, will be closed for three weeks from November 15 to allow its chiller unit to be replaced, shower and changing areas to be improved and new boilers to be installed.

A replacement rink barrier and rubber matting are also part of the project and a thorough clean will be carried out.

Oxford City Council, which owns the rink, said the number of skaters using the rink was up by almost 50 per cent this year, with more than 45,000 visits since April.

The council said the planned investment will secure its long-term future.

Oxford City Stars junior ice hockey club, which has about 60 members aged six to 17, said it was delighted with the cash injection.

Vice-chairman Russell Fray said: “It has had a few minor touches over the years but is starting to look run-down compared to other facilities.

“The investment will breathe new life into it and improve the reputation of our club.”

But Liberal Democrat leader Stephen Brown has accused Labour-controlled Oxford City Council of short-sightedness and said the work was a “sticking plaster job”.

Mr Brown said the improvements would allow Oxford Ice Rink, now 27 years old, to continue for only a decade.

He added: “This ice rink is at the end of its life.”

He said the council would again be faced with an ageing facility in need of further work.

Mr Brown said: “It is a sticking plaster job on the ice rink. What the city really needs is a combined pool and ice rink complex.”

Lib Dems believe a new ice rink should be built as part of the £16.8m pool complex planned for Blackbird Leys.

The council decided to build the complex because the existing Temple Cowley Pools centre was outdated and required increased maintenance.

Mr Brown said: “If we are building a new leisure complex we should consider the possibility of a new ice rink there as well.”

But Bob Price, leader of the Labour-controlled city council, dismissed the suggestion of relocating the ice rink and said its future was at Oxpens.

He said: “It would not stack up financially.”

He said the rink was in good condition, in a good location and made a slight profit.

Mr Price added: “We are investing in it to make sure the long-term future is secure.”

In June, the Oxford Mail reported the council was considering upgrading the rink.