A CAMPAIGN to save the Irish Centre was unanimously backed by members of the Irish Society and residents at an extraordinary general meeting last Friday. 

The meeting was called after campaigners feared that as part of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Top of The Town redevelopment plan, the Irish Centre, in Council Road, Fairfields, would be demolished along with Basingstoke Carnival Hall Community Centre.

It was discussed whether the campaign, which aims to save the building that has belonged to the Irish community since 1989, would go ahead and it was agreed that it should.

Campaign co-ordinator Edwin Stone said: “Our main objective is to ensure that what we have at the moment, a busy community hub for local people, is left alone.

“Developers have spoken to us about what could happen and one option is to demolish the site and move us in with the group at Basingstoke Carnival Hall.”

This could result in the closure of the bar. 

Mr Stone added: “The representatives from that hall feel the same as us and we are working together to safeguard the futures of each building.”

When the building was handed over to the Irish community by the Irish Society, it was originally intended to be an Irish Club bar and social space.

In the years that followed, the building developed into the Irish Centre, which welcomes local groups to use the space. 

But during recent discussions between the council, developers and the Irish Society, it appears that the building could be knocked down and a new centre, shared with Basingstoke Carnival Hall Community Centre could be made - without its bar area that it was originally used for.

Chairman of the Basingstoke Irish Society and chief executive officer for the Irish Club, Andy McFadden, said: “This Irish Club is our home – we don’t want to leave it and won’t.

“The bar helps raise money for the Irish Society and profits go into the charity. It’s debatable whether the society will be able to function as a charity if we lose this bar because it is our main source of funding.”

Last week Cllr Simon Bound, the council’s cabinet member for communities and community safety, said a review is ongoing.

“We are carrying out a review of these two ageing facilities in the town centre that are in need of repair, in light of rising maintenance bills and the changing needs of a growing and diverse community.

“The review is at a very early stage and involves discussing possibilities with the management committees and looking at different options for the future.”