Work to improve Southampton’s Outdoor Sports Centre starts today

Following a 12-week public consultation last year and approval of the plans at Cabinet last month, the first phase of work to improve Southampton’s Outdoor Sports Centre has started today (Monday 21 March)

Work to improve the Bike Park and Woodland trail has started and focuses on resurfacing and reprofiling these popular cycle routes. This first phase of work is expected to complete early this summer. The Bike Park will now be closed while works are ongoing, with the Woodland trail fenced off in areas as work progresses but will otherwise be opened to the public as much as possible. The rest of the Outdoor Sports Centre remains open as usual.

Councillor John Hannides, Cabinet Member for Finance and Capital Assets at Southampton City Council said:

“The multi-million-pound improvement plan for Outdoor Sports Centre is an ambitious and impressive project for Southampton’s main venue for outdoor sports and it’s great that we’ve reached yet another milestone with the start of Phase 1. This is the single most significant investment in the Outdoor Sports Centre in over 80 years.

“The overall improvements to the Outdoor Sports Centre will not only enhance this unique site but will provide better opportunities for people to improve health and wellbeing and promote participation in physical activity and sports. These changes will also support our well-established and new local sports clubs and their community initiatives as well as providing recreational users an enhanced environment to enjoy with family and friends.

“This project contributes to the city’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2025 and will significantly improve the suitability of the Outdoor Sports Centre to cater for and host a variety of larger city-wide and regional sporting events."