A GRANDPONT football club has assured residents that extending the opening hours of a new pavilion will not result in disturbances to the community.

The currently agreed opening hours are 9am to 6pm, but the club has applied to Oxford City Council for a closing time of 11pm from Mondays to Saturdays and up to 10pm on Sundays.

An anonymous note was posted through letterboxes around the Grandpont area that claims it would result in “increased noise, traffic and parking issues as well as light pollution” and would affect the nearby Grandpont Nature Park.

But Hinksey Park FC chairman Jim Smith said that while the issue was “sensitive”, he was confident there would be no major disturbances.

He said: “We will be limiting the use to children’s parties and sport activities for people who want to do aerobics and that kind of thing in the evenings.

“It will not be a social club, it will be a community asset and there will not be any drinking or anything like that.

“And the reason for that is that we have to maintain it and manage it.

“The last thing we want as a youth football club is to promote alcohol and drinking.”

The pavilion construction is part of a wider £3m modernisation programme being carried out by Oxford City Council and is expected to be finished in June.

City council spokeswoman Louisa Dean said: “The pavilion will benefit the community of Grandpont.”

The council is spending £736,000 on the building in Whitehouse Road, which will include two team changing rooms, two officials changing rooms, toilets, a kitchen and a club room. It will keep ownership of the facility, but lease it to Hinksey Park FC.

Project management company Mace has been hired to oversee the work and architects B3 designed the pavilion.

Mr Smith said: “Members of the club met a couple of weeks ago to discuss how things are going and so far progress is fantastic.

“We are delighted to be getting a home and new facilities. And one of the best things is we will be able to offer people a hot drink and a bacon butty at matches. It is a little bit sensitive at the moment, but we are hoping that the committee will approve the application for extended hours.”

The licence for extended hours is set to be considered by the west area planning committee when it next meets on April 8.