Two in three support plans for new centre

Almost two thirds of residents who took part in consultation about the controversial plans for a new community hall in an historic Staffordshire city gave their backing.

Questionnaires were sent out by Lichfield City Council to the Darwin Park and Chesterfield Road estates about proposals to build Darwin Hall community centre at land on a site off Cathedral Walk. Of the 433 consultation forms returned, 278 – just over 64 per cent – backed the plans, while 155 – nearly 36 per cent – of the residents voted against them.

The city council will meet on Monday at 6.30pm to discuss the findings.

A group of residents from Darwin Park estate protesting against the proposed location and to save Cathedral Walk maintain the large vote against the plans "vindicated" their campaign.

They objected to the location of the hall and claim the city council has "misled" residents by saying there was no other site for it.

Steve Wilcox, a resident of Darwin Park, said there was an alternative site less than 200 metres away off the A461 Sainte Foy Avenue and also criticised the council over £75,000 it has already spent on the project without a brick being laid.

The opponents are also considering taking the matter to the ombudsman, and they intend to attend the meeting on Monday to voice their opinions. Mr Wilcox said: "The number of objections could have been significantly greater, had the city council not misled residents by claiming, wrongly, during the consultation that no alternative location was available."

When the Darwin Park estate was built, land was earmarked and Section 106 funds secured from the developer to provide a community hall.

Legal obligations mean that if no hall is built on the site by March 2010, the land and the Section 106 cash will be returned to the developer.