PEOPLE will be asked how they feel about a proposed community hall - even though there's already been vocal opposition to the plan.

A petition with 1,067 signatures showing opposition to the new hall being built was handed to the clerk at a heated Pershore Town Council meeting on Thursday night.

Jacqui Marler who handed the petition over said: “This is getting a bit petty, I have to say. Many people in this town don’t want this hall and I have only put the petition through three rows of the Abbey Estate. The amount of people in this town that know nothing about it; it’s unbelievable. And we have got the rest of the town to do, and it will keep going.

You have got to understand and listen to what the people in this town want. The poverty in this town is terrible.”

The decision on the community hall will take into account the public consultation, which will ask residents whether they want the council to go forward with the new hall and whether or not they want the council to borrow some of the money for the hall.

One member of the public asked the council whether they will accept it if the consultation found that the majority of Pershore did not want the new hall.

Council chairman, Councillor Chris Parsons replied: “We will have to re-debate it and re-consider it. The town council will make the decision but with respect of the views of the public.”

Every house in Pershore will get a copy of the consultation containing information on the proposed new community hall with a voting slip for every person on the electoral role.

A public exhibition so that residents can view the proposals for the new Community Hall will go ahead.

A date has yet to be decided for this.

The Town Council noted the shortfall in funds of £204,000 for the proposed Community Hall which currently has a budget cost of £850,000.

The Clerk suggested the most appropriate way of funding this would be a loan from the Public Works Loan Board.

It was decided that the Clerk would apply for permission to borrow for the project.

It was then proposed that permission be applied for, to borrow up to £500,000, even though this amount would not be required, in a bid to give the Council the flexibility to repay the balance on the loan to refurbish Pershore Library (£200,000 outstanding) should they believe this to be the best course of action.

The new hall would be built on the land next to Pershore Cemetery, off Defford Road.