PLANS for an exciting new sports facility in North Swindon were presented to the public on Monday.

The Moredon Recreation Ground could see a £3m makeover if ambitious proposals make it through the planning and funding process.

The site currently consists of four grass football pitches, two cricket wickets, a three lawn croquet club and an area of open green woodland.

There is also an area for model car enthusiasts to come together and race their cars.

But the site has seen better days. The old breeze block changing rooms have been condemned after falling into such a poor state of disrepair and the pavilion is now the only useable facility.

New plans could see the arrival of a purpose-built road cycle track long enough to allow competitions to take place.

There would also be a BMX pump track and a cycle-cross area in the wooded area. A cycling proficiency area would also be installed.

A state-of-the-art 3G artificial turf football pitch with lighting to allow for evening use all year round is also part of the plans.

The four existing football pitches would be upgraded and the cricket wickets retained, while the croquet club would see their offering increased from three to five lawns to allow them to host regional competitions.

A new pavilion-type building with improved facilities would also be built.

Council officers told a public meeting at Moredon Community Centre that they hoped to secure half the funding from grants. Organisations such as British Cycling have shown an interest in investing in the site.

The other half of the funding, £1.5m, would be raised by allowing about 150 houses to be built in one corner of the site, at the corner of Cheney Manor Road and Akers Way.

Residents responded favourably to the proposals. Some raised concerns about maintaining a big enough area for dog walkers and others asked about event-day parking.

But all were in agreement that there was a need for better sporting facilities and that the proposals were far better than the large scale development that was once feared.

No decision has been made about who would own or manage the site. It is unlikely that Swindon Borough Council would want to maintain control as it has already offloaded its other leisure assets.

Other options include the parish council, a community enterprise, a specialist organisation such as British Cycling, or an outside leisure provider.

The council’s main leisure partner, GLL, runs a similar site at Odd Down, in Bath.

Coun Des Moffatt, chairman of the North Central Swindon Shadow Parish Council, said: “Providing we get the right conditions on the housing, we are prepared to support this.”

But he cautioned against building a site that would not be financially sustainable.

“Unless this facility is paying for itself - in order to keep the place up to scratch - the parish will be having nothing to do with it,” he said.

If planning permission is obtained, work could begin in late spring 2018 with the new site opening from summer 2019.