Objections are being raised against a new £7million facility in east Oxford which a housing chief states planners "need to get right".

A consultation event date is now scheduled for Saturday, March 16 where the public will be able to give design-related suggestions for the planned Blackbird Leys Community Centre.

Oxford City Council previously announced it proposes to appropriate land at Blackbird Leys District Centre and Knights Road for the project. 

But fears have been raised over the impact of wildlife and other facilities in the area.

Plans were first submitted in outline in a planning application to the council last year and was approved in August as part of a project which will bring 294 new homes as well as more shop spaces to the area.

READ MORE: Rishi Sunak responds to Post Office scandal while in Oxford

A detailed planning application for the community centre is intended for submission in spring 2024 and will include a proper outline of its design.

Oxford Mail: The existing Blackbird Leys community centre.The existing Blackbird Leys community centre. (Image: Google Maps)

Linda Smith, Labour cabinet member for housing, said: "We're not just building houses - we're thinking about the whole community.

"This community centre is going to be really important."

When asked what was wrong with the old community centre, Ms Smith responded: "The building was at the end of its life.

"It was very inefficient in terms of space and poorly designed by modern standards.

"The whole thing is being re-designed to incorporate new flats and shops."

The upcoming consultation event is described as an "exhibition on the community centre design for the planning application submission, The Barn, Blackbird Leys, Nightingale Avenue".

At the time of the initial consultation, there were a few objection comments listed on the city council website.

One objection from the non-profit organisation, the Agnes Smith Advice Centre, said: "We would like to have confirmation that there is a commitment not to reduce the space for the community centre or the retail area below the amount of space available in the existing facilities.

"We have heard that there has been discussion of the possible inclusion of the health centre and library in the community centre.

Oxford Mail: Proposed re-development of Blackbird Leys.Proposed re-development of Blackbird Leys. (Image: Oxford City Council)

"If this is the case, we would be concerned about this."

The Oxfordshire Badger Group objected to other aspects of the Blackbird Leys redevelopment application.

The group's comment stated: "The proposal for up to 84 dwellings on and adjacent to the Spindleberry Nature Reserve will have a devastating impact on the ecology of both the reserve and Northfield Brook."

In modern history, the Blackbird Leys Estate emerged in the 1950s and 1960s to meet the then pressing need for housing.

The Kassam Stadium, home to the Oxford United Football Club, is also within the boundary of Blackbird Leys though there are plans to move the stadium to 'the Triangle', south of Kidlington Roundabout, when the club's contract expires in 2026.

Ms Smith continued: "The old Blackbird Leys community centre served its purpose well since it was built but it's really vital we get a new replacement.

"We don't just want to build an off the peg community centre and hope people come to it and that it gets used."