A new £8.5m swimming pool could be developed at Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre in Oxford after the local authority backed plans to overhaul provision in the south of the city.

The new facility - including a competition standard pool and leisure pool - was among a series of options outlined by consultants Mace Group in a feasibility study commissioned by Oxford City Council (OCC) in January. OCC's executive board opted to pursue the new-build scheme at a meeting on 1 September, which will also result in the closure of existing swimming facilities at Temple Cowley and Blackbird Leys.

The two existing sites would remain open until the new pool was complete, however, the executive board's decision is to be scrutinised further after it was called-in by councillors. A report put before the executive board said: "The feasibility study demonstrates that the best value for money solution for a pool in the south of the city of Oxford is to build a replacement pool adjacent to the existing leisure centre at Blackbird Leys.