Villagers have voted in favour of a new community hall for Cowling.

Thousands of pounds must be spent on the existing hall to bring it up to European standards.

And at a public meeting, residents came out in favour of replacing it with a new one after agreeing the costs of keeping the 113-year-old hall could not be justified.

Trustees are facing a bill in the region of £100,000 just to bring it up to standard for the next five to ten years.

And that would not include disabled access to the top floor and the future of the hall would still not be guaranteed.

Two options now being considered are:

Knocking down the existing hall and re-building on the same site

Selling the hall and buying new land to build new premises.

Resident Lesley Airey said: "A list of repairs which need to be done to the hall has been compiled. The place is not in a very good state. Personally I think we should have a new hall. As it is now, the existing hall doesn't have a public entertainment licence and is only used for meetings."

A valuation of the building is to be carried out and a bid could be put in for National Lottery funding. Hall managers will meet again in public on September 2 at 7pm to discuss the issue further.

Cowling village hall celebrated its centenary in 1985 and was originally built as a Liberal club and institute. It included a library and reading room, assembly hall and meeting room.

The building was used as a reception centre for evacuees during the war and was also home to the popular dialect plays of local playwright Arthur Teal, during the 1920s and 30s.

l An appeal to raise £10,000 to help pay for repairs to Sutton's St Thomas' Hall is in sight of its total.

So far £9,000 has been raised which will be used to foot the bill for repairs to the roof and internal decorations.

"People have responded magnificently," said Vicar of Sutton, the Rev Michael Cowgill.

"The hall is very well used by the community and it's quite an asset to the village."

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