MARKET Lavington parish councillors are to work closely with the trustees hoping to build a community hall in the village, in an attempt to break a ten-year deadlock.

At a parish council meeting on Monday, councillors approved a series of motions expressing their support for the village hall management trust and its plans to build a hall on council-owned land by St Mary's Church.

Councillors also approved the principle of designating an area of the land for housing, to help pay for the estimated £500,000 project.

The final motion recommended that councillors and trust members meet with Kennet District Council to find a way forward that meets the needs of the village and the trust.

Trust chairman Peter Furminger said: "We were seeking the support of the parish council. This has straightened out areas of doubt and we can now move forward."

There has been much opposition, especially among residents of neighbouring Grove Farm estate, to the houses on the village hall site.

A plan for a terrace of six cottages has now been jettisoned in favour of a less intrusive site closer to Grove Farm Road. But the question of what kind of housing, and how much of it, has still to be resolved.