Work is likely to start within four months on Steeton’s new £200,000 community hall.

Parish council chairman David Mullen hopes contractors will begin the five-months-plus building project in May.

Funders of the project have insisted work is completed this year as a condition of their grants.

The planned hall, next to the bowling green alongside Skipton Road, will provide much-needed space for local groups.

It will have three meeting rooms, with a movable partition so that two can be turned into one for larger functions.

The building will replace the ageing bowling hut and will have parking alongside for five vehicles. The existing children’s playground will be moved by several feet.

Planning permission was given by Bradford Council in 2011 and all funding had been secured by the end of last year.

The hall steering committee, made up of parish councillors and other local people, has met with the building’s architect.

Coun Mullen said the architect was now drawing up detailed plans for submission to Bradford Council’s building control department.

He said: “Once we’ve got approval we’ll be looking at putting it out to tender and hope to start building in May. Once the building is up and running we have three months to demolish the old building.”

Coun Mullen said the steering committee planned to talk to village organisations over the next few months about what facilities would be on offer.

He said: “We’ve had expressions of interest from some of the groups. The intention is to talk to everyone.”