A sports and social club near Mill Hall in Rayleigh will be demolished to make way for new facilities, councillors have agreed.

The new building will form one phase of a redevelopment, which also includes renovations to the Mill Hall itself and the construction of an "educational and environmental centre" on the Bellingham Lane site.

Members of the Mill Hall working party agreed to knock down the former sports and social club after hearing a presentation by consultants the Gibson Hamilton Partnership.

The meeting was told expensive alterations to the Mill Hall to update it and allow disabled access would be met with the new building.

But Labour councillor David Ford was not convinced, and urged members to consider refurbishments.

He said: "I am very disappointed at what has come forward. I would rather see the buildings stay - to my mind a refurbishment of the sports and social club would be far better.

"This is a conservation area, and the people of Rayleigh have been raped by having old buildings taken away from them, and we should preserve the old buildings that are left."

However, Lib Dem councillor Sylvia Lemon believed no love would be lost by the removal of the building.

She said: "The sports and social club is an appalling building - it is old but not that old, and I don't see the sense in revamping it.

"Very few people enjoyed that building." In reference to the time taken by the working party over a decision for the site, Rayleigh town councillor Beryl Lovett urged members to agree a way forward for the Mill Hall site "before I die."

Members of the working party - made up of district and town councillors - agreed at the meeting a "new build" for the sports and social club with a design to be agreed.

They also agreed some works to the Mill Hall, including toilet conversions, works to the foyer, and the installation of an arts cinema, as well as landscaping enhancements.

Total cost of the items agreed to date is £750,000. Rayleigh Town Council has indicated it will meet the £140,000 cost of the environmental centre.

Members also agreed to employ tax consultants to deal with VAT issues and ensure the best deal for the council, at a cost of £5,000, to be included in the £750,000 figure.

Councillors were told the employment of consultants was likely to save the council thousands.

Unveiled - an artist's impression of the new centre to replace Mill Hall

Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.