BUILDING a village hall would create a lasting legacy for Davenham, according to a community chairman.

Davenham Parish Council is investigating the possibility of building a hall in Butchers Stile Field, but Mike Cleaver, chairman of Davenham Scout Group, said this is three years too late.

He said Scout and Guide groups presented the parish council with a proposed site layout for a football pitch and community hall based on a Sport England design three years ago.

He said: “Even though we welcome this initial investigation by DPC we feel that three years have been wasted and during that time many groups of the Davenham community have lost the use of Davenham Church Hall, this was due to water damage in the severe winter.

“The lack of this crucial facility in a small community like Davenham, has had a huge impact of the charity groups and church groups.

“Sadly Davenham Scout and Cubs have had to move away from the village, incurring additional costs and a depletion in our numbers, threatening our very existence.”

He added: “The main question we should be asking the Davenham residents is not should we have a football pitch OR a community centre, but do you want to build a legacy for the next generation, which will encompass all the village groups from the youth groups, church groups all the way through to the WI?

“Let’s put the heart back into the village, let's create a vibrant and cohesive village centred around a new community hall.”