Four Chipping Norton clubs want a 3G pitch, padel courts and a clubhouse secured in West Oxfordshire's Local Plan after an under-13 side folded.
Four Chipping Norton sports groups want a new community sports hub written firmly into West Oxfordshire’s next Local Plan. They say the town’s clubs are already losing teams for want of decent pitches.
Chipping Norton is about 13 miles south-west of Banbury. Its cricket club, rugby club, Chipping Norton Swifts Football Club and Chipping Norton Skatepark Trust have all sent formal representations to West Oxfordshire District Council backing a multi-sports hub on the east side of the town. They set out their case in a joint press release on Friday.
Teams already lost
The clubs give two examples of what poor facilities are costing them:
- the Swifts’ boys’ under-13 team has folded after losing players to clubs with better facilities
- the rugby club’s under-15 team has merged with Shipston-on-Stour’s to form the Cotswold Lions
The council’s own evidence points the same way. The draft plan records a shortfall of one full-sized rugby union pitch in the town. It also says the Greystones pitches south of the town suffer traffic congestion on match days, because they carry both football and rugby.
What the hub would include
The clubs say the hub would bring together:
- a floodlit 3G pitch
- grass pitches
- tennis and padel courts
- adventure play
- a community clubhouse
Where it would go
Chipping Norton Regulated Pastures, which the Field Reeves administer, has confirmed that land at London Road could be made available, the clubs say. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Skatepark Trust.
A possible land swap with Oxfordshire County Council would let the hub sit alongside the cricket club, with room to expand. Moving the Swifts to the hub would also free space at Greystones for the rugby club to grow, according to the release.
What the draft plan says now
The hub is already mentioned in the plan. West Oxfordshire’s Draft Local Plan 2043 names land east of Chipping Norton at London Road as a strategic location for growth under Policy CN3. It covers about 37 hectares between London Road and Banbury Road, with around 750 homes. The adopted 2031 plan allocated 1,200 homes east of the town.
The supporting text says CN3 requires any community masterplan for the site to include a multi-sports hub “in a suitable, central location”. It notes that the council’s leisure team has given the idea its “in principle” support.
The clubs want more than that. They are asking for the hub to be “more clearly secured” through Policy CN3. They also want masterplanning of the wider area and developer contributions from the new housing.
Nick Jones, chief executive of the Skatepark Trust, made the same case in person. He spoke to the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 8 July. The minutes record his view that CN3 treated the hub as a benefit of development without robust requirements to secure its delivery or funding.
He told councillors that developers had indicated a commitment to fund the hub based on the old allocation of 1,200 homes. He warned that the cut to 750 would leave a funding shortfall. He asked for the hub to be a priority in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan, with a costed funding strategy and ring-fenced developer contributions.
What the clubs and councillors say
In the release, Nick Jones said:
“The opportunity here is much bigger than one individual sports facility. Our clubs are already seeing the consequences of inadequate facilities, with teams folding or merging as young players move elsewhere.
“As Chipping Norton grows, we need to make sure investment in new homes also delivers the facilities our communities need. The clubs have come together behind this vision, and the land is available. What we need now is a clear commitment through the Local Plan, with a route to funding and delivery.”
Councillors Mark Walker, Geoff Saul and Sandra Coleman backed the hub in a joint statement:
“As Councillors we recognise the need for improved and increased sports facilities in Chipping Norton. As the town is set to grow further it’s really important that we provide opportunities across the community to participate in sports, the sports hub can be a key part of that and we strongly support its inclusion in the local plan. As councillors we will work closely with the sports hub and other stakeholders to bring this vision forward and make Chipping Norton an even better place to live in.”
The clubs are urging the district council to plan housing growth and community infrastructure together. They want Section 106 contributions from the new homes directed towards building the hub.
What it means for you
The last public consultation on the draft plan ran from 26 August to 9 October, so new comments can no longer be made. The council says every comment it received, including the clubs’, goes to the Planning Inspectorate with the plan for independent examination. The council will publish the representations on a dedicated examination page “in due course”.
The draft plan says a hub would serve Chipping Norton and its rural catchment. Mr Jones told the scrutiny committee it would serve the surrounding villages too. Anyone in the villages around Chipping Norton whose children play for its clubs has a stake in how the inspector reads Policy CN3.
For sport closer to home, Banbury’s two floodlit Playzones take bookings at £3 an hour.
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