AFTER being 'left out of the loop', members of a community centre will now join the board to oversee decisions.

Since complaining to Oxford City Council about 'appalling' communication, the group have welcomed the offer of 'improved communication and involvement in developments'.

Bullingdon Community Centre was set to benefit from a £500,000 makeover earlier this year before plans were halted and thrown into uncertainty after the council 'discovered a quarry'.

The association, who look after the centre, lodged a formal complaint to the council after they lost time, money and saw relationships with users of the centre in Peat Moors, Lye Valley sour because of the unexpected delays.

They calculated that as a result they lost £3,000 in rent and bookings.

But now, members at the centre –which is home to dance groups, music classes and creative writing courses – have been invited by the council onto the board to oversee future decisions about the renovation.

Richard Bryant, secretary on the association, said: “The communication has been pretty appalling, which caused us a lot of grief. This is very positive.”

The centre first swung its doors open after planning permission was approved in 1949 and is now the only community centre serving Lye Valley and Wood Farm.

Councillor Christine Simm, executive board member for supporting local communities, said: “Partnership working is key to building stronger communities and we’ve committed to include representatives from the community association in the project board, to be involved in the decisions to be made and influence the outcome from the users perspective.”

In a letter submitted to the Oxford Mail yesterday, leader of the council Susan Brown also said that there are no plans to relocate the community centre and develop the site for other purposes.

She said: “It is no secret that this project has proven to be more complicated and more expensive than the city council had originally planned for.

“I would like to take this opportunity to categorically state that that there is no truth whatsoever in any of these stories about alternative uses for the Bullingdon site and that no credence should be given to them.”

She added that she remains committed to a long–term future of the community centre.