I attended the open meeting in Market Lavington on March 29 out of interest as a villager, parish councillor and member of the Community Hall Trust.

I take issue with two significant points in Jason Kent's letter (April 8). To use his criteria the postal ballot netted a 'no' result from only 196

people in a village of more than 1,600 over voting age.

The actual results which present a more accurate picture are as follows:

Voting slips distributed:

1 to each household: 896

No. of votes cast: 507 56 per cent

Votes in favour: 311 61 per cent

Votes against: 196 39 per cent

This means that 61 per cent of the village households who voted were in favour of selling some of the Grove Farm site for housing in order to build a new village hall.

The second point I take issue with is that this group claims that it is not against a new village hall per se.

The two issues are inextricably linked. If the land is not sold for

housing then there will be no new

village hall.

Had the village voted against the proposal I would have accepted that the derelict Grove Farm site, be turned into:

A proper car park (desperately needed by the village, but probably doubling as an unofficial skateboard park).

A teenage play area (already on the new village hall plan with designated money).

A village green (unfortunately

doubling as a dogs' toilet, as anyone who has worked on clearing the site will verify).

I was a member of the parish council which 13 years ago worked tirelessly to secure that site for a new village hall. I was also a member of the group that, 10 years ago, spent several months on a village appraisal to find out the village's views on a whole range of issues, one of which was a new village hall. I am also a very small part of the enormous effort which has gone into trying to secure outside funding for a new village hall.

If the village has now changed its mind and no longer wants or needs a village hall, I am happy to stand by that decision. I await proof of this change.

J Clark

Market Lavington