ROWDE parish council should be at the forefront of plans to redevelop facilities in the village, a meeting was told.

The full council meeting in front of more than 30 villagers on Thursday heard chairman Graham Maslin say there had been a brief meeting on the previous Tuesday of interested parties who are working towards creating better facilities for the village. He has given them until next month to report back.

The plan being looked at by the working party developed from a discussion paper published by local resident, solicitor Edwin Lee, inviting the thoughts and ideas of other villagers on the future of the village hall, which is generally held to need upgrading.

As a result of the responses on sports facilities in the village, Mr Lee published an article in Rowde Village News. To do nothing with the village hall, he said, was unacceptable as the building would continue to deteriorate.

To refurbish it, could cost up to £300,000. Even with £225,000 lottery funding, it would still require local fundraising of £75,000 which would compete with other good causes in the area.

Mr Lee's suggestion of creating a community centre complex on land at Malthouse Farm, where Rowde School governors are thinking of relocating, has split opinion in the village. Mr Lee said the leisure and sports complex could cater for Rowde School, Rowdeford School, the Rowde Playing Fields Association and other organisations outside the village, giving the project a continuing source of income.

Residents at the meeting were concerned there should be an opportunity for public debate and were assured by councillors that, if the public didn't want it, that would be the end of the plan.

Some were against replacing the village hall, saying it was sufficient to refurbish the current building.

Mr Lee said the parish council was represented on the working party, as was Audrey Brown who has farmed the land at Malthouse Farm for 50 years and Mandy Housby, chairman of governors at Rowde Primary School.

Mr Lee said: "My strictly personal view is that the viable village community facilities of the future, whether they be halls, sports fields and even possibly schools, will be those capable of both multi-use and multi-occupation and generating third party income."