THE ageing County Ground Athletics Track is set for a major refurbishment to bring the facility back to life.

Currently operated by the council, the track is reaching the end of its usable life for competitive athletics, so around £250,000 is to be spent replacing it and the floodlights.

On top of that, a new clubhouse with changing room facilities will also be built in the second phase of the plan.

The running club Swindon Harriers, which is chaired by Ian Larrard, a former athlete himself, will take over the day-to-day running of the track as part of a 21 year lease.

As part of the agreement, they will gain assistance from the council in making sure the operation is sustainable.

Last November, much of the council’s leisure portfolio was leased to Greenwich Leisure Limited but the track was not.

As the major user of the facility, it was felt that Swindon Harriers were the best organisation to run the track.

Council leader David Renard (Con, Haydon Wick) said: “The quality of the track has degraded to such an extent that it needs replacing and we are going to spend the money available to replace it.

“We have leased out a number of facilities to organisations that are better placed to run them than the council and this is another example of that.

“The council is always keen to do what we can to promote an active lifestyle which is why we are pushing forward with this.”

The total cost is expected to be £253,000 which will come from Section 106 funds, the money given by developers when they build in the town. It is expected work will start in the coming months.

Historically, the future of the track has been tied up with any development of the County Ground so several clauses have been put in to the development relating to this factor.

Should a proposal come forward to develop the football stadium that impacts the athletics track, the money already spent on developing the track must be reimbursed and alternative location must be found for the Harriers.

Coun Renard said: “We want to retain football, athletics and cricket in the town. There is a covenant on the land for leisure and sport.

“If the club came forward with a plan for developing the County Ground that impacted on the track or cricket field then they would have to offer other provision.”