VILLAGERS at Market Lavington have voted in favour of a new community hall next to St Mary's Church, even though land will have to be sold for new homes.

The Market Lavington Village Hall Management Trust, which is trying to fund a new hall but has not been able to get funding, canvassed residents in mid-November.

It sent its newsletter, Village Hall News, asking for support for its plan to sell off part of the site for six or seven cottage-style homes which would raise between £350,000 and £400,000 for the project.

Of the 896 voting cards sent out, 510 or 56.9 per cent were returned to independent adjudicator Christopher Saunders.

Of these, 311 (61 per cent) were in favour of the scheme and 196 (39 per cent) were against.

Trust chairman Peter Furminger said: "The trust believes this level of approval indicates that we should proceed to the next stage of the project to finalise the plan for the hall and new houses, together with the surrounding landscaping, and submit it for planning approval. The sooner we can get the process under way the better.

"It is interesting that the number of votes against the scheme almost exactly corresponds to the number of people who voted against it at the meeting at Lavington School last year.

"Objectors tend to come to meetings more readily than supporters."

Mr Furminger thanked villagers for their comments and said, where possible, they would be taken into consideration during the planning stage.

There had previously been anger among some villagers that there was only one vote per household.

Mr Saunders received some ballot cards, marked eight for and four against, showing villagers claiming a vote for every member of the household. The extra votes were ignored, each card being counted as one vote. There were three spoilt ballot cards.

The village lost its old village hall when it was sold to Dalecare nursing home more than ten years ago. The land for a new hall next to St Mary's Church was bought by the parish council in 1994, and will be leased to the community hall trust for 125 years at a nominal rent.

Funding proved a problem. Two applications for National Lottery money failed but the trustees are still determined to go ahead.

The original plan for a £750,000 hall has been trimmed back to £500,000. The trust however, said it has £110,000 in the bank and promises of grant aid amounting to £95,000.

With the money expected from the sale of the land, it said it will have more than enough for the new low-budget hall, which will still be large enough for parties, yoga and keep fit sessions, youth activities, plays and concerts, bowls, table tennis and other indoor sports, and craft fairs.

Opponents claim the village has several venues for such events including the Old School, which the parish council is buying from the Radnor Trust and renovating. There are pub function rooms, church halls, and village halls in nearby Easterton and West Lavington.

The hall at Lavington School is also regularly used when the parish council wants to hold a public meeting.

Supporters say Market Lavington is the largest village in Kennet not to have its own village hall and that a new hall would generate its own business.

They say the vote has given the green light to go ahead with the scheme.