MASSIVE housing plans for Eastleigh's former Pirelli factory site are helping to give a £400,000 boost to the town's sporting life.

For the bumper package of improvements for Fleming Park are being funded through development contributions negotiated with housebuilders Barratts Southern.

The company is masterminding the housing development which will bring thousands of newcomers into the town.

And the improvements at Fleming Park - one of the country's most popular sport and leisure locations - are part of a five-year development plan that has been produced by the borough council with DC Leisure who manage the complex.

Work is already under way on site and one of the first tasks will be removing the earth mound alongside the Dri Pla area to make way for new floodlit tennis courts.

The mound was created with soil from excavations for the leisure centre swimming pools some 30 years ago.

One idea at that time was to extend the mound to provide a ski slope across Fleming Park but this did not materialise.

Now the soil is being transferred to create earth banking around the golf course practice area next to Kingfisher Road.

The four new tennis courts will replace old tarmac courts and are expected to be ready for play next spring.

The floodlit Dri Pla surface, one of Fleming Park's most popular facilities, will also be replaced later next year with the latest artificial turf pitch and extended.

And the package of improvements will also see the children's paddling pool relined and its surrounds replaced in time for next summer.

Executive councillor for leisure Councillor Alan Broadhurst said: "Fleming Park has provided valuable leisure and recreation facilities for almost 75 years.

"Today it is more popular than ever with well over a million visits each year.

"This figure can only increase with new developments in and around Eastleigh and our plans will help to keep Fleming Park top of the league."

The transfer of soil from Fleming Park to Kingfisher Road is being carried out by Swanwick Construction and is expected to be completed by the end of October.

It will involve several hundred lorry movements from the leisure centre to Kingfisher Road via Passfield Avenue, Nightingale Avenue and Magpie Lane.