Hermitage Parish Council want land transfer for new village hall

Following a referendum in Hermitage earlier this year the parish council decided to grant the village hall management committee a sum of money to build a new hall.
Greenham Common Trust has also indicated it could part-fund the project, with £140,000 coming from the village hall management committee.
Now the parish council is looking to acquire the village football pitch and associated land in north Hermitage from West Berkshire Council as a site for the new facility.
However, parish councillors were divided as to whether to acquire additional woodland adjacent to the football pitch when they met last Thursday night (September 20).
Councillor Kay Willis said: “The village should be able to use the woods. It’s ridiculous to live in the countryside yet this area of woodland is fenced off.”
However, Margaret Goodman argued that the council do not have sufficient knowledge about the woodland in order to properly maintain it.
Chairwoman of the parish council, Ruth Cottingham said Pang Valley Conservation Volunteers could maintain the site for about £300 a year.
Dr Mark Kerry felt West Berkshire Council was putting pressure on the parish council to acquire the woodland in addition to the football pitch and associated land.
“We need to get this thing moving for the village hall, but West Berkshire Council want to put this land on us without us undertaking research,” he added.
The parish council agreed to organise an urgent meeting with the district council to discuss the land transfer.
Spokesman for West Berkshire Council, Keith Ulyatt said: “The process for the transfer of the land will be decided if and when the transfer of the land is agreed.”