Multi-million pound plans for Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre are being cut back due to spiralling costs.

The city council says plans for the building in Thornhill Road, Bassett, are being ‘simplified’, with changes to the layout and reducing the number of covered tennis courts.

In August 2023, Southampton City Council gave the green light to renovate the sports centre and add a new ski lodge, community hub, three floodlit astroturf pitches, cycle track, athletics clubhouse and many other features.

READ MORE: Go-ahead for £30m plan to transform 'neglected' sports complex

The scheme is set to cost just over £30million and the council said the masterplan would deliver £98.8 million of monetary benefits.

But the council said that due to spiralling costs, 'market fluctuations in the building industry' and supply problems caused by 'Covid-19, Brexit and geo-political issues' plans would have to be cut back.

The changes approved include reducing the size of the proposed centre, cutting the number of covered tennis courts from three to two, changing the alpine lodge design, moving the learner slope and changing the materials used.

The city council said the changes “do not diverge significantly” from the original masterplan proposed in the 2021 public consultation.

It saw 97 per cent agree that they would like to see improvements at the centre, and 85 per cent said that they would use the centre more if the proposed changes were made.

Cabinet members backed the changes this week.

The council will now submit the family zone and design changes to planners in March.

This family zone will include outdoor gym equipment, a skateboard area, a cycling pump track, a learn-to-ride cycling track, a children’s play area and a splash pad.

A ‘family zone’ pavilion with bicycle maintenance, store and electric charging, a tea/coffee server, toilets including baby changing facilities, and an external athletic track store are also wanted.

The main works are set to start in autumn this year.

The funding includes £20m from the Government's Levelling Up Fund and £4m from the Football Foundation.