Bicester Town Council announced on October 29 that the Whitelands Farm Sports Ground would be closed at weekends ‘until further notice’ due to ‘unfortunate and unavoidable’ circumstances.
The council-run sports ground on Whitelands Way is Bicester’s main sports facility, used for football and rugby with a perimeter track for runners and cyclists.
In a statement posted on Facebook it said: “The circumstances are both unfortunate and unavoidable and we will do everything we can to return the service as soon as possible.”
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Several councillors contacted by the Oxford Mail said they were not warned about the closure.
This newspaper contacted the town clerk, Phil Evans, for more information but has received no response.
Cllr Sam Holland has called an extraordinary meeting of the town council (Image: Cllr Sam Holland) Conservative councillors Sam Holland, Donna Ford and Nick Mawer blasted the town council for offering no ‘public communication as to why’ and giving residents ‘no plan’ about when it might reopen.
In a letter to Rachel Mallows, chair of environment committee, they wrote: “This is the largest outdoor sports facility in our town and hosts numerous football and rugby teams every weekend.
“Bicester Town Council has failed to publicly clarify why the ground’s facilities have been closed at weekends, and when the likely reopening date is, leaving users of this crucial site in limbo.
“This is having a huge impact on Bicester’s sports teams and disproportionately children who look forward to football and rugby every weekend.
“There are precious few alternative sites for them to use.
“A thriving small business in the kitchen and bar at Whitelands is also impacted.”
The letter said it was a ‘failure of both communication and planning’ and ‘lets down our residents badly’.
They called for the committee to draw up plans to reopen the facilities ‘as a matter of urgent priority’.
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However, in an update yesterday (Friday, November 8) Cllr Holland said they received ‘a dismissive response’ to the letter, and have have now called an extraordinary meeting of the full Bicester Town Council, which must legally be arranged within the next seven days.
The purpose of calling the meeting is ‘to force the council to formulate a plan to get Whitelands Farm Sports Ground fully re-opened forthwith and ensure the council properly communicates to residents what is affected by the current closure and what isn’t’, he said.
He said he wanted to ‘ensure that lessons are learned’, adding that ‘we hope to resolve the ongoing issues at Whitelands Farm Sports Ground, and see the whole facility re-opened for residents as soon as possible’.