A community centre is set to be extended just four years after opening- because it is too small.

Overwhelming demand for use of the Great Notley Garden Village community centre has resulted in new £100,000 expansion plans.

The Notley Green Community Association wants to build a new meeting room to provide for more groups in the area.

Centre organisers have also applied for planning permission to re-site Ducklings playgroup within the building and form a new caretaker's store.

The proposals are being funded by money originally allocated for a new leisure centre in the village.

But extra cash was made available after the proposed development became the less expensive Great Notley Discovery Centre.

Notley Green Community Association trustees' chairman Ron Whitehouse said organisers may have realised the hall needed to be bigger when it was built - but the money was not available at the time.

He added: "I think organisers realised the money may have been coming but it would be in a future phase. At the moment we have a main hall and a smaller hall by the side.

"Because the playgroup meets five days a week, many other groups which wish to meet during the day are unable to do so.

"There are plenty of people waiting in the wings and this provides them with an excellent opportunity.

"We are pleased the money is going towards the community centre, which is right in the middle of the village, rather than any proposed leisure centre."

The extension would see Ducklings playgroup move to the new room and allow the existing space to be used for art and craft groups and women's institute meetings.

Braintree Council will make a final decision on the hall at a later date.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.