CONCERNED residents vowed that they will fight to safeguard the future of a community centre they fear is under threat from its housing association owners.

At a meeting on Wednesday night (November 10) Twynham Housing Association announced plans to spend millions of pounds refurbishing homes in Somerford, and explained its proposals to demolish the estate's 50-year-old community centre and replace it with flats.

But many residents fear that unless the housing association agrees to provide an alternative before the centre is knocked down the estate could be left with nowhere to hold community events.

Christchurch Borough councillor John Freeman said: "The future of the community centre is very much in the balance, but it's vital people have somewhere to meet because there is absolutely nowhere else for them to go to in Somerford."

Tynham's chief executive, Greg Lomax, explained the housing association is obliged to provide the estate with a community centre and proposed building a brand new centre on the site, which would be topped with two storeys of flats.

But Mr Lomax stressed that nothing has been decided and reassured residents there are no plans to develop the site, on the corner of Southey Road, for at least the next four or five years.

"We are not going to take the centre down and replace it with nothing," he said. Residents also suggested the abandoned United Reformed Church on Southey Road could be refurbished to provide a community facility for the estate.

Chairman of Friends and Residents of the Grange Julie Petrie said: "We need a community centre. Where they choose to put it and whether it's the United Reformed Church or they decide to refurbish the existing one hasn't been decided."

First published: November 12