VILLAGERS are on a factfinding mission to see if they can build a hub for their community.

A number of residents attended Kingsmead Parish Council’s latest meeting to ask if a community centre could be built in the area.

One resident said: “We wondered if there was potential for a community centre anywhere in Kingsmead?

“This is an issue that’s gained quite a lot of momentum over the past few weeks so we decided to come to the parish council and see if any options have been explored previously and if there’s a way of moving forward.”

She added: “There must be somewhere on this huge estate, we must be able to approach someone.

“We’ve got a dire need for a community centre.”

The village has a primary school, nursery, medical centre, pharmacy, dental surgery, veterinary surgery, pub and shops but no community centre.

This is not the first time the issue has been explored as a group of residents and businesses carried out a feasibility study in 2009, before Kingsmead Parish Council was established.

Clr Andrew Murison said: “We like the idea but the answer is no – there’s nothing we’ve got in the way of land that’s suitable for a building.

“Any land we have got that’s been given to us by Redrow has a proviso on it that we don’t build on it.”

Clr Tim Moore agreed that finding land is the key.

He said: “I’ve done a bit of work on this and you can look what others have tried and get an idea of what can be done, how you can look at it and how you can go about it from the grass roots level.

“There’s interesting stuff from Antrobus about how they got their village hall.

“It all starts with having the land.

“Can you get land or find some way of being given land?

“Then what Antrobus has done is formed a committee and it holds charitable status, which allows you to run it as a charity and volunteers get involved.”

He suggested speaking to Antrobus Village Hall’s committee as a starting point.