A LIVELY debate among councillors, residents and local youths has resulted in a parish council pledging £35,000 towards the cost of a new youth building.

Kingsclere’s Village Club, in George Street, was packed with people at the end of last month to discuss a resolution – brought by Kingsclere Parish Council chairman Peter Woodman – for the council to grant £50,000 out of its reserves towards a new youth building in the Holding Field. The sum was reduced to £35,000 during the debate.

The facility will home the Busy Bees Pre-School and a youth club, and Cllr Woodman said the money is needed to bid for two grants, that would secure outstanding funds for the project.

Cllr Woodman explained that the Holding Field Working Party – which is co-ordinating the project – put in a bid for £275,000 out of Hampshire County Council’s PVI (personal, vocational, independent) Early Years capital, which has been favourably received and gone through to a second stage.

A second bid for £100,000 from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), is under way and the party must show that all remaining funds are in place when they are visited by SEEDA representatives, on May 18.

So far, the project has secured £555,000, consisting of: l £138,000 from an insurance settlement after a previous youth building burned down in 2006.

l £35,000 from land sold by the parish council for a ransom strip, in Basingstoke Road.

l £275,000 from the PVI bid l Several smaller contributions include £15,000 from two residents and £5,000 from Busy Bees.

Cllr Woodman also proposed that football facilities should be taken out of the application.

He said: “We are trying to put together a package that’s viable. There’s quite a lot of funding available for youth sporting facilities and they could be put back into the plans at any time.

“This would reduce the cost of building to £563,000, plus a five per cent contingency that would take us to £591,000, against the £555,000 which we already have.”

Opponents questioned the economic stability of the Fieldgate Centre, in Fieldgate Drive – which faced financial difficulties last year after a drop in bar takings – and hence the need for a new facility. Residents also raised concerns over the risk of escalating building costs.

However, Maria Meredith, Busy Bees manager, said to the council: “You haven’t spent any money from this parish for the youth, this is the future of this village.”

A handful of youths attended the meeting to show their support for the centre.