AN ambitious plan to bid for National Lottery money to move and rebuild a village school and hall and create a community centre with sports facilities in Rowde, will be debated by villagers on Thursday October 26.

The scheme, drawn up by solicitor Edwin Lee, includes a replacement for both the primary school and the village hall and indoor sports facilities that can be shared between Rowde Primary School, Rowdeford School and the village's sports clubs.

The land identified for the complex, bounded by The Common and Sands Lane, is owned by a trust set up by villager Audrey Brown, who met informally on Tuesday evening with Mr Lee, parish council chairman Graham Maslin and other interested parties to discuss the possibilities of the scheme.

Tonight's full parish council meeting will give councillors and residents the chance to decide if the plan should be pursued and, if so, how.

In an article in the Rowde parish magazine, Mr Lee, who is a member of the village hall committee, lays out the idea behind his plan.

He foresees a new state-of-the-art building for Rowde Primary School with a building or buildings capable of serving as a gymnasium for the primary school and Rowdeford School, as Rowde village hall and an indoor sports centre/pavilion for the Rowde Playing Field Association.

The outdoor sports facilities would also cater for Rowdeford School, which currently has none of its own, and the playing field association.

The proposed scheme would provide floodlit all-weather facilities for soccer, athletics, hockey, netball, basketball, tennis and cricket.

There might also be a bowling green and petanque rink, as well as an amphitheatre for outdoor theatrical and musical productions.

Mr Lee said: "The village school is over-subscribed and is in a terrible place for traffic. It is an absolute tragedy it is not able to fulfil its potential.

"The land which Mrs Brown has agreed in principle to release for development would be ideal for a new school and leave plenty of room for the community centre. The school owns the freehold on its site and the money from its sale would go a long way towards financing the new build."

The new complex could also include conversion of redundant farm buildings into small workshop units to create employment possibilities in the village.

Mr Lee added: "I do not for one moment underestimate the tremendous amount of hard work involved with this project.

"I fully accept that for any number of reasons it could flounder in the four to five years it will take to come to fruition.

"However, with the goodwill and co-operation of the various village organisations, Rowde has a unique opportunity to achieve great things for present and future generations."

Mandy Housby, chairman of governors at Rowde School, said: "At the moment it is only an idea.

"But we are interested in looking into it. But if it doesn't suit the school it will go no further."

Thursday October 26 meeting is at Rowde village hall at 7.30pm.