THE people of Headington Quarry will finally get a new pavilion after years of campaigning.

Last week Oxford City Council announced a public consultation for the proposed building in the Margaret Road Recreation Ground.

For city councillor Dee Sinclair the announcement came as relief after 13 years of campaigning.

The former Lord Mayor said: “I’ve been campaigning for it ever since I became a councillor.

Our top stories

“It’s been a long time coming but we’re very happy that we’re going to get a new pavilion that can be used by children and the community.”

The councillor for Quarry and Risinghurst added she used to be “embarrassed” by the current pavilion.

She said: “If you go inside, you can see it’s pretty grim. We have a lot of football teams travelling to play our local club and I used to feel embarrassed by the state of the pavilion. But when people come now it will be something to be proud of.”

The council announced in February it had earmarked £1.2m for the new facility, which will be built on the site of the current pavilion that will be demolished.

Children’s football team Quarry Rovers are the main users of the building. The team, established in 1952, has played on the Margaret Road Recreation Ground since their foundation.

The club, which got FA chartered status last year, has 200 children playing football every weekend.

Chairman of the club Neil Mc- Crae said: “The council and volunteers at the club have tried to fix and improve the services at the pavilion for years.

“But unfortunately now it has fallen into disrepair. We are very excited about the new pavilion as it will help us achieve targets that we’ve set ourselves.”

Mr McCrae, whose three children were part of the Quarry Rovers in their early years, added: “It’s good to see the council investing in grassroots sport for local children.”

The floor plan for the proposed new pavilion includes separatesex changing rooms, a community room, disabled toilets and a kitchen area.

Members of the community will have the opportunity to comment on the plans and suggest different uses for the building.

The council began a public consultation on March 4 and it is open to the public until April 2.

Mrs Sinclair said: “It’s vitally important that we get the views of as many members of the community as possible.

“We can make the pavilion a place for young and not-so young.

“I would also like to see younger people give their opinions on what they would like to see next to the pavilion.”

There will be a public consultation meeting at the Masons Arms in Quarry School Place at 6.30pm on Tuesday, March 31.

Comment or view the plans at consultation.oxford.gov.uk/consult.ti/Quarry/consultationHome