RESIDENTS in the Beggarwood area of Basingstoke have been having their say on where they think a new community centre should be built.

Developer Bellway Homes has included a community centre for the estate as part of a 101-home development off Beggarwood Lane.

Separately, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has drawn up a scheme to site a community centre in Beggarwood Park, near the Kiddi Caru nursery.

Both plans have gone out to consultation and residents could look at drawings and fill out feedback forms at a gazebo erected in Beggarwood Park last Saturday.

The hall will be run by Hatch Warren Community Association, which manages Hatch Warren Community Centre in Longcross Lane.

Association chairman Stuart Colman told The Gazette that a steady stream of residents looked at the plans and submitted their comments.

He added: “With the Bellway scheme, we would have to consider the residents that would be above us. The park scheme would be built in an open space and people like to keep open spaces open. In terms of what the centres will deliver, they are exactly the same.”

Bellway Homes has applied for planning permission for its scheme, which includes 58 houses, 43 flats, a community centre and a takeaway.

Susie Hartas, planning manager at Bellway Homes, said: “It has always been known that a community centre has been needed for Beggarwood. What we are doing here is to find out what the community wants.”