AMBITIOUS plans for a new community centre in Cowling have been abandoned in a bid to save the project from folding.

Around 15 people turned up to a meeting in the village on Monday night to discuss the future of the £1.6 million scheme to transform the Royd Mill site into a state-of-the-art community centre and sports hall.

There was general agreement that the design of the building had been too ambitious and that a simple design would be closer to what the village wanted.

Alternatively the existing village hall could be renovated.

Resident Kate Marsden said: "We have got to go back and say we have got it wrong and what would they like.We need to present the village with something they can identify with.

"We presented them with something too big and too modern and too expensive and they were worried about what would happen to their rates."

Treasurer Richard Price agreed: "I think we have rushed ahead and thought about the whole of the project, the land and the building and we have probably frightened many people.

"In our naivety and enthusiasm we have actually rushed ahead and tried to show everybody what it would be like in its entirety."

Three suggestions were made at the meeting - to canvass opinion and commission new, simple plans for the Royd Mill site; to renovate the existing village hall to meet health and safety standards and provide disabled access; or liaise with other village groups, particularly the two churches to see if any joint scheme could be drawn up.

Doubt was expressed at the meeting that the Royd Mill site was still available, and retiring chairman Coun Irene Greaves said that she would find out if it had been sold.

Mr Price added that there may be problems with funding the demolition of the mill, the preparation of the site and access road - even if the site was still for sale.

"We need about a quarter of a million pounds before we even start to do anything on the site. We have to purchase it and demolish it almost straight away. We have to shore up the road. There is a whole range of very expensive items there before we have even started thinking about what we are going to put on it," he said.

"We all know the difficulties of raising money in the village. Even with matched funding, this is a major task ahead."

But the existing village hall is in a serious state of disrepair, with structural work needed to make the building safe and disabled facilities needed to meet legislation to be introduced in 2004.

New chairman Jennifer Yates added: "This hall is too small and there is no parking. Maybe we have to stick with it, but we have to spend a lot of money on it. It is not safe. It is a lovely building, but it is not safe and it is not big enough for a growing village."

Rough estimates put the cost of the work at about half a million pounds, but there was support for this scheme among the group, who felt this was better than spending more money on a new centre.

A third suggestion was to join forces with the two churches in the village and see if a joint project could be drawn up.

As the Herald reported last week Holy Trinity Church is looking to open up the building for community use, and St Andrew's Methodist Church already has community facilities which could be expanded.

There was optimism by the end of the meeting that a new village hall was still needed and wanted in Cowling, and that there were enough people interested to form a committee and work towards it.

The committee was warned by David Chilton to learn lessons from the past few years, and to ensure the village really wanted and needed the facilities that would be available in a new hall.

Coun John Anderson agreed: "The key issue is we have to get the support of the village."

In the meantime, a second committee was set up to look after the existing village hall, and fundraise for urgent repairs and maintenance.

At the meeting a new committee, with Jennifer Yates as chairman and David Chilton as vice-chairman was elected. A vote of thanks was given to Coun Greaves.