The West Witney 3G application slips to early 2027, and the Windrush Place adventure play area needs a new site: Deer Park Woods is ruled out.

The adventure play area promised to families at Windrush Place has lost its site. West Oxfordshire District Council has concluded that the land originally identified south of Deer Park Woods “is no longer suitable”, and is now looking for an alternative location near the development. The planning application for the Witney 3G pitch, meanwhile, is not now expected until early 2027.

Both admissions came in the council’s written answers to questions at Full Council on 16 September. Councillor Thomas Ashby had asked for a detailed update on three long-promised projects on Witney’s western side, telling the Executive: “The lack of serious progression is a serious concern amongst residents.”

The answers, published with the meeting papers, give each project a different status.

Adventure play area: back to site hunting

The play area is funded by developer money, under the Section 106 agreement for Windrush Place, the estate on Witney’s south-western edge off Downs Road. That agreement is now the constraint. The council says it requires the facility to be delivered on district-owned land, so officers are exploring alternative council-owned sites “in the vicinity of the development”.

The original site was ruled out over utilities infrastructure and ecological considerations. Until a new site is agreed, the council says “it is not yet possible to provide delivery timescales”. Once one is found, a specialist play consultant would design and build the facility under a single contract.

Witney 3G: planning application expected in early 2027

The full-size artificial pitch at West Witney Sports Ground is a Witney Town Council led project, with a steering group that last met in July. Since then, district officers have been working with the Football Foundation on the technical requirements, reviewing comparable pitches, and working out which ecological surveys are needed to meet biodiversity net gain rules.

The council now says a planning application “is anticipated in early 2027”. When it arrives, it will appear on our planning news page.

Ralegh Crescent MUGA: procurement within a month

The multi-use games area at Ralegh Crescent is the furthest along. Tender documents have been prepared following a steering group meeting at the end of August, and the council expects the formal procurement process “to commence within the next month”. Like the play area, it must be built on district-owned land under its Section 106 agreement.

Deer Park’s trees get extra money

A separate answer in the same papers covers Deer Park’s overdue tree works. The council has an £80,000 budget for essential tree work in 2026/27, of which around £41,000 is spent and £38,000 committed, none of it covering the trees along Deer Park Road. Following further discussions, the council says additional money “will be made available during this financial year to enable the necessary works to be undertaken in their totality”.

Councillor Ashby had said hundreds of thousands of pounds have gone on subsidence claims over the years. The council calls that a significant overestimate, and says the claims were paid by its insurers.

What it means for you

  • Windrush Place families should not expect the play area soon. There is no site and no date. The next update the council has promised is “once a preferred site has been agreed”.
  • The 3G pitch is at least a year from a decision. An early 2027 application would still need planning permission and then construction.
  • Ralegh Crescent is the one to watch this autumn. If procurement starts within the month as promised, a contractor for the games area follows.

All three projects are paid for wholly or partly by Section 106 developer contributions, the same kind of funding examined in our report on the district’s £1.51 billion infrastructure plan.

Frequently asked questions

Where will the Witney 3G pitch be built?

At West Witney Sports Ground on Downs Road. The project is led by Witney Town Council, with West Oxfordshire District Council officers working with the Football Foundation on the technical requirements. The council said on 16 September that a planning application is anticipated in early 2027, so there is not yet a formal proposal to comment on.

What has happened to the Windrush Place adventure play area?

The site originally identified for it, south of Deer Park Woods, has been ruled out by the district council over utilities infrastructure and ecological considerations. Because the Section 106 agreement requires the play area to be built on district council-owned land, officers are now looking for an alternative council-owned site near the development. The council says it cannot yet give a delivery timescale.

When will the Ralegh Crescent multi-use games area be built?

No construction date has been published. As of 16 September, tender documents had been prepared and the council expected the formal procurement process to start within the next month. A contractor would be appointed through that process before any building work begins.