CONTROVERSIAL plans for a new youth building in Kingsclere are inching closer to development.

While the latest set of plans for a youth facility on the Holding Field in Kingsclere are being considered by borough planners, the parish council has voted to formalise leasing arrangements and dissolved the working party which initiated the project four years ago.

After months of rows – including two councillors resigning over the plans, a referendum on the project and heated parish council meetings – Monday’s full parish council meeting took several steps towards realising the £650,000 project.

The site, in Ashford Hill Road, belongs to Kingsclere Parish Council, and the new facility would include space for a youth club, sports clubs and Busy Bees Pre-School.

Although new parish councillor Marie Gundry raised concerns about the new facility’s effect on traffic, the council voted to draw up lease arrangements for the new tenants.

Parish council chairman Councillor Peter Goff also successfully proposed that the Holding Field Working Party sub-committee should be dissolved. He said: “It’s done its job. It was initially formed to do a feasibility study and get planning permission.

“We kept it going to raise necessary funds to build the building, which it has done.”

So far the parish council has allocated £38,000 – which it acquired from developer’s contributions – towards the project.

Cllr Goff said that the parish council would not spend any more than this sum on the project, but would not make an official guarantee.

The council also heard that a covenant on the land restricting its use to sport and leisure activities has been amended to include pre-school activities.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council previously approved plans for a youth building in 2008.

The amended plans, which place the V-shaped building entirely on the Holding Field site, have so far drawn 38 responses from members of the public, including 27 against and ten in support.

A decision on the application is set to be made by early September.