A £750,000 redevelopment plan for a community centre in Northway could still go ahead despite concerns.

The scheme, to demolish and replace the existing Northway Community Centre, is part of a deal between Oxford City Council and the housing association Green Square.

City councillor Roy Darke, who represents Headington Hill and Northway, signed a lease agreement for a new community centre which will be built as part of a redevelopment including 40 new homes.

But a member of the Northway Community Association claimed Mr Darke did not have the power to sign the lease in April because he was no longer chairman of the association.

Trustees asked the Charity Commission, which regulates registered charities in the UK, to investigate.

The commission said the meeting when Mr Darke was replaced as chairman was valid.

Georgina Gibbs, a member of the Northway Community Association, believes this means the deal no longer stands.

She said: “Roy Darke was not the chairman when he signed the lease and what the Charity Commission said has proved this.

“The lease he signed is not valid.”

Mr Darke said he accepted he was no longer a member of the committee but still planned on pushing ahead with the long-awaited project.

He said: “I am happy to accept that the current members of the committee are the valid officers.

“But the signing of the deal had been agreed before the meeting and it is a fantastic deal for Northway.

“I have been working on it for 12 months and I am not going to let it go now.”

Association trustee Mohammed Altaf-Khan, who also represents the area on the city and county councils, also wants the scheme to go ahead.

He said: “We want a deal which works for Northway.

“We want to meet with city council officers as soon as possible so we can make sure the deal is realistic.”