A MOVE by the Forest Council to buy a former village sweetshop is a unique opportunity to get something done about a 40-year eyesore.

The council has announced its intention to make a compulsory purchase order of the former Sheward’s shop in Parkend which could then be taken over by a community group.

There have been many attempts to do something about the building next to the memorial hall, but they have been thwarted by a knotty legal history.

A public meeting was held on Saturday morning (January 5) to update villagers on progress.

It is hoped the site could be cleared to make way for an extension to the memorial hall, which marks its centenary this year.

Steering committee member Elaine Highfield said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get it right. We want the whole project to be totally transparent and for everyone to be involved – it is a community decision on what happens.”

Objections to the compulsory purchase order can be made to the council until February 1.

Ms Highfield said the council was “fully behind” the community group and they are hopeful that the plan to extend the hall will become reality.

It is estimated that the total cost of the project will be between £450,000 and £500,000, with the money coming from grants, donations and possibly loans.

Steering committee member Russell Aldridge said they would need a business plan to show how they could fund operations.

The meeting was told that many people use halls in other villages because their facilities are better, but the plan is to improve the layout of the memorial hall to make it more attractive to potential users.

If the compulsory purchase order is ratified, it is expected the hall would be signed over to the community in the next few months.

Further public meetings and fund-raising events are being planned.

It has not been possible to establish who the legal owner is and the council has taken the step of going for a compulsory purchase to get rid of an eyesore and to bring the site back into use.