UNIVERSITY representatives and student rowers were given a grilling by Purton villagers over controversial boathouse plans at a meeting on Wednesday.

It was the second meeting in two weeks held at St John’s Church and was set up with the aim of clarifying issues surrounding the proposal by the University of the West of England (UWE) to convert the listed Bridge House on the bank of the canal into a base for its rowing club.

The chance to quiz the university’s head of sport, Alex Isaac, as well as coaches and rowers drew in dozens of villagers to quiz them on the technical issues surrounding the operation of a rowing club.

Issues including the manoeuvrability of boats into the building, noise, rowing routes and the possibility of cows falling into the water were covered in the, at times heated, 90-minute discussion.

An application for the conversion of Bridge House was submitted at the end of last year although the plans have been consulted on since the building was first bought by the university two years ago.

Opposition to the proposal from villagers has been evident with dozens of objections lodged against the application.

At Wednesday’s meeting, representatives of UWE were told that they were “not welcome in the village”.

“We have nothing against rowing on the canal, not if it’s in the right place but this is the wrong place to have a rowing club,” Beryl Varnam, a resident of the village, said.

“The rowing club is not welcome in Purton and we won’t give up the fight. We love this village and we will fight to keep it as it is.”

Ray Brown, who is working on the proposal for UWE insisted that the university wanted to be a good neighbour.

He said: “A university is not the sort of organisation which will come in and ride roughshod over the village.

“We want to be a good neighbour which is why we’ve held these meetings. We have said this from the outset and will work with the village should planning permission be granted.”

The Canal and River Trust, which manages the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, has opposed the application on the grounds that it would harm the setting but it has agreed in principle with the university’s rowing schedule.

Determination of the application is expected by April 26 after a time extension was agreed last month.