MEMBERS of the Longhope Business Association have hit back strongly at any suggestion they are "the shady spoiler group" behind an unsigned letter criticising plans for a new family centre in the village.
But in a strongly worded statement to the Review they urge local people to think carefully before ploughing ahead with plans for the family centre at the expense of the present village hall, the Latchen Rooms.
The Business Association, founded a decade ago and well known for its fund-raising activities for the village, say modernising the Latchen Rooms is a sensible and viable alternative worthy of consideration.
"Commercial, professional people recognise its crazy to burden the future residents of the parish financially when many halls in the immediate vicinity have financial problems and are unable to attract their own locals because of hiring costs.
"More land will have to be purchased for parking as well as leasing the land for the hall. This does not make commercial financial sense when we already own land and hall," they say.
The Business Association believes it would be common sense to extend and upgrade the Latchen Rooms. Members would assist with fund-raising, offer practical help and grant application support.
They stress that the plan for a new village school and the village hall are totally separate issues – the school, they say, will go ahead whatever is done with the village hall.
"The parish (we the villagers) own this land and building. It's a valuable village asset. Why sell it for residential development? Our future generations will lose this valuable resource which past residents have cherished, if sold," they say.
The Association believed only one proposal regarding the future of the village hall was being put forward when their was an alternative scheme backed my many residents.
Referring to Coun Mrs Joy Benbest's comments they say she was elected to represent all points of view "not simply her own favoured projects."
"A modernised Latchen is a sensible viable alternative worthy of consideration. It is on a bus route with easy access for the elderly and owned 100 per cent by the villagers.
"We are confident the Latchen Rooms can be converted to a modern well equipped hall with increased capacity which would be the envy of surrounding parishes, as it was when it was first opened. Low cost hiring rates would make it still affordable for local activities – Evergreens, the WI, playgroup etc – still with all the land and building owned and managed by the parish."