AN historic hall which dates back to the 1800s could be knocked down and replaced with a glass and steel building.

The trustees of Haxby Memorial Hall, York, are considering a number of ideas for the future of the hall which is badly in need of refurbishment.

One of the options is to knock the building down and replace it with a glass and steel structure.

But members of the Haxby local history group are against demolition of the building. Group member Alan Clark is calling on people to oppose the demolition of the former school. He said it was probably the most well-known building in the village and was where generations of Haxby people had spent their formative years.

He said: "Could I please plead with the people of Haxby to sit up and take note of the intended demolition of their heritage and actively protest strongly to your town councillors? Surely there must be a less drastic and more cost-effective alternative to acquire a new community centre."

But chairman of the Memorial Hall trustees, Ernie Young, stressed demolishing the hall completely was just one option they were exploring.

The trustees are presently looking at retaining the front of the hall and constructing a new building behind, as well as completely demolishing it.

He said: "It is one option, but the decision has not yet been made to go with that one.

"We are presently trying to get together designs and options which will be put to the people."

He said the building was not in a good condition, and had problems, particularly in the roof and some windows. The building is presently used by different groups, but he would like to get it up to a standard where villagers would consider holding bigger functions such as weddings.

Mr Young said a public meeting would be taking place in the near future and Haxby residents would get the chance to have their say. The annual meeting of the Memorial Hall trustees will take place on Tuesday, at 7.30pm, in the hall.

Updated: 09:25 Friday, May 16, 2003