Town councillors have issued a "lukewarm" response to plans for the future of community halls in Witham.

Witham Town Council was responding to a consultation exercise over Braintree Council's proposals for the future of Spring Lodge Community Centre and other community halls the district council owns.

Braintree Council's "preferred option" involves modernising the Spring Lodge building and bringing it into line with disabled access regulations.

Part of the site would be sold to fund the regeneration.

Halls at Great Bradfords, Braintree, and Forest Road, Witham, would also be demolished and the sites sold and a new community hall built at Rickstones Pavilion, Witham.

The rest of the council's halls across the district would also benefit from modernisation and access improvements.

Phil Barlow, deputy leader of Witham Town Council, said: "We agreed that although we clearly welcome the fact that they're not going to turf the community association off the Spring Lodge site, both they and us have asked for more information to see if we can support it and very little has come forward.

"We're lukewarm we need to get more detail to Witham Community Association and residents about exactly what's proposed."

Published Wednesday May 26, 2004

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