CALLS for a decision on the future of the Armstrong Hall in Thornbury to be delayed were echoed by residents during a public meeting on Monday.

Plans put forward by Thornbury Town Council as trustees of the hall, outline three possible options, a full refurbishment, a complete rebuild or relocating to Turnberrie’s Community Centre.

The public meeting at the Armstrong Hall, had been called after residents, concerned with the lack of information on ownership and costs presented in the original consultation, called on the council to present more detailed plans.

During the event, outgoing town clerk Clare Nelmes delivered a presentation on the three options, the pros and cons of each, as well as some further detail on funding.

This was followed by words from Cllr Clive Parkinson, chairman of the redevelopment working group on where the council and trustees currently stand on each proposal, continuing the previous notion that they would like to see the facilities stay on their existing site.

The bulk of the session, however, was reserved for the question and answer session, with residents being invited to put their questions to those on the stage, as well as make their opinions known.

Former Thornbury mayor Charles Eardley Wilmott made a point, which was echoed by a number of other residents, that the introduction of a new option so late in the day, was similar to the “seemingly rushed” process that began in September when the original options were put to the public only a handful of weeks before what originally would have been the decision date.

He said: "The Town Council have given themselves a very tight schedule and I don’t think the public could be asked to endorse the rebuild plan with such little time to go on. It is too early to endorse any such option."

Thornbury Carnival founder David Goldring also questioned the timeline, saying: "If we have only a couple of weeks to make a decision and then three years before we can make a decision.

"I feel those timelines are mismatched and should be rethought."

Thornbury resident John Smith said: "As much as we love this hall, it has not been much more than a utility building.

"I can foresee we spent a small fortune on this build, only to do the same again in a few years’ time.

"It does seem that the rebuild is the obvious answer. There is a lot of money involved and we would need all the money in our pockets before we start digging this place up.

"Large projects have a concerning likelihood of going up in price. Will we be chasing our tails a lot of the time?"

A council spokeswoman thanked the community for their interest in the project and said that, at this stage, the trustees would only be looking to make a decision towards the current consultation on March 20.

She said that “this is only the beginning of the journey to upgrade the Armstrong Hall” and that further work on the details of the designs, facilities, business plans, funding and other issues raised as part of the consultation will follow once we know which option to progress and the project evolves.

The consultation closes on March 9. For more details, visit thornburytowncouncil.gov.uk or visit Thornbury Town Hall.