SOUTHAMPTON CITY Council has revealed its multi-million pound vision for the future of its major sports complex.

Council bosses have come up with proposals on how to improve and update facilities at the Southampton Sports Centre, which at their most expensive total up to £27.4m.

It has now put these ideas out to the public.

Although council bosses say the council is not in a position to fund large-scale improvements, it hopes that by having an overall vision of the future this will attract investment from outside bodies.

Proposals, based on research and consultation so far, include the possibility of indoors sports facilities, which the council says would contribute to reducing running costs and lead to more use all year round.

The council says any proposals would need to help reduce overall operating costs.

Recommendations include a new closed cycle road circuit at £1.5m, a skate park costing £425,000, a 3G artificial grass pitch costing £900,000, a new Hub with changing facilities, meeting rooms, a bar and cafe area, balcony and spectator stand costing £5.3m and a new beach volleyball court costing £100,000.

The bowling green could be relocated at a cost of £250,000.

There would be an additional nursery ski slope costing £100,000, a new Alpine Lodge with a foyer and kit area costing £500,000, improvement work to pitches costing £350,000 to £500,000 and a new 18-hole crazy golf course costing up to £325,000.

There are options for a pavilion, with one option to include a four court badminton sports hall or two Futsall courts, with costs ranging from £3.3m up to £15.7m.

The existing trim trail would be relocated and adding interpretation boards of the site history and nature to current trails along with route signage costing £500,000.

There are a number of options to expand or create new car parking which would cost between £50,000 and £1.3m.

Possible sources for investment highlighted in council documents include facility operator Places for People, capital funding from outside bodies such as the Football Association, British Cycling, the Saints Foundation, Solent University and Sport England.

The council states that the FA has indicated it was keen to work with Southampton on the provision of a 3G pitch or pitches and see Southampton as a priority.

It says the Saints Foundation is keen to establish an education centre with possible plans including indoor Futsall courts and classrooms while Sport England has indicated facility improvements at the sports centre is a priority in the city.

Detailed plans and a strategy for how to fund such work will be developed in the next year.

This comes after the chairman of Southampton Athletics Club Richie Pearson criticised the facilities to the Echo back in July, describing them as "appalling” and "a disgrace" and that he believed they were putting off the stars of the future.

In his opinion the cold and ageing buildings made the sports provision in the city the worst in the UK.

The facility, which opened in 1938, has trained the likes of athletics stars Kriss Akabusi, Todd Bennett, Iwan Thomas and Roger Black.

The council document acknowledges that "many of the buildings, features and infrastructure at Southampton Sports Centre are original; heavy usage, time and lack of investment has taken its toll".

It adds: "Developments in a number of areas are beyond their expected lifespan and are no longer fit for purpose."

It highlighted facilities considered to be in a poor or outdated state, which included the changing and toilet areas, storage and extra facilities at the athletics track, the hard court surfaces, the alpine lodge, the boating lake and the insufficient car parking.

Cllr Satvir Kaur, Southampton City Council’s cabinet member for Communities and Leisure, said, although much-loved, the centre was "showing signs of age and it’s crucial that we establish and agree a vision for its future to enable us to attract the funding we need to make it fit for the 21st Century".

She said the consultation was about prioritising what people in the city wanted to see and that not all the ideas put forward could be achieved due to practical reasons where some projects used the same sites.

Cllr Kaur added that she approved the possible indoor facilities and that this was about widening participation in sport rather than increasing income.

She was unable to say whether or how much the council would be able to put any funding towards the improvements, but said she was "hopeful" that outside funding would be found "The priority will be obviously getting external funding," she added.

"In order to see the improvement we would need external funding and to work in partnership."