Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre is set to become the envy of Oxford with scores of new activities to get youths off the street and away from the lure of antisocial behaviour.

On August 4 Oxford City Council held an exhibition ahead of its final application to persuade National Lottery bosses to hand over £500,000.

If the bid is successful the money will be used to transform the under-used leisure centre in Pegasus Road into a state-of-the-art facility boasting a range of sport and leisure activities as diverse as yoga and pilates.

But what goes on there is up to people living on the Oxford estate, says the man who is part of the team leading the bid.

Neil Holman, the city council's active communities partnership manager, said: "The aim is that by engaging with young people we would hope to deter them from anti-social behaviour.

"We want to get people into the facility. The idea is to have an outreach team going out into the community to try and get people engaged in whatever it is they want to do.

"Hopefully it will be the envy of the area with heavily subsidised sports activities, dance, aerobics and various different activities.

"This is why we're consulting people in Blackbird Leys - the community will definitely have a huge say in what is going on - and it would be pointless getting this money and not doing anything with it."

Should the council be successful with its bid it has promised to match the amount secured - meaning the centre would get a £1m facelift.

Blackbird Leys is one of the least healthy areas of Oxfordshire with diabetes and heart diseases two of the most common ailments.

At a recent public meeting residents said one of the reasons for an increase in anti-social behaviour on the estate was a lack of youth facilities. It is hoped this bid will go some way to remedy that situation.

A final decision from Sport England is expected next month. The consultation is being held at the leisure centre on August 5, from 4pm to 7pm. All are welcome to attend.