WORK has started on new £400,000 sports changing rooms in Wallingford after a council pledge secured the rest of the funding.

The new facilities at Wallingford Sports Park could be ready for the start of next season after South Oxfordshire District Council promised to put up the remaining £187,000.

More than 1,800 members of local clubs, including Wallingford Rugby Club, Wallingford Hockey Club, AFC Wallingford, Petanque Wallingford and Hithercroft Squash Club, could benefit from the new changing rooms as early as September.

SODC’s communities capital grant scheme panel recommended the project be awarded the full £187,000 needed on Monday.

The recommendation will go before the council’s cabinet where council leaders are expected to rubber-stamp it.

Wallingford Sports Trust chairman John Atkins said: “We are cautiously optimistic of getting all the funding and it should be a formality from now on.

“Some of the preliminary work started last week to facilitate temporary changing rooms and if all goes well it will be ready for the start of the winter season in September.

“We have a huge number of people who use the park each week and quite rightly the council has decided it will be of great benefit to the community – it will be fantastic when it’s all done.”

The rest of the funding has come from Sport England (£75,000) environmental body Wren (£50,000) and the Rugby Football Union (£80,000).

SODC had originally awarded the project £100,000 but held back until other funding was made available.

Policy changes then meant the trust could apply for more than £100,000 to complete the six-room one-storey block.

The new facility will provide the clubs that use the park with separate adult and children and boys’ and girls’ changing rooms and showers for the first time.

The building will also have a dedicated physiotherapist room, which will become home to a freelance physio in return for giving the various teams discounted treatment.

Wallingford Rugby Club chairman Richard Payne said: “I have been chairman for only two years but I know the idea of rebuilding had been going on for a number of years before that.

“The fact that it’s all finally coming together is brilliant and some preliminary work has already started on the project.

“What we have at the moment is quite run down and we desperately need the new facilities, we have lots of juniors and girls who use the pitches and there hasn’t been space.”

He added: “Having a dedicated physio on site is going to be really useful for the club and others who use the site.”

Work carried out last week included preparing drainage for temporary changing rooms ahead of the new build, which could start on Monday.