A NEW £500,000 multi-purpose venue to stage church services and provide a range of community facilities, is planned for west York.

Leaders of Gateway Church hope to build a large hall space at the back of its Christian centre, in Front Street, Acomb, which would be opened to local residents.

Its Sunday church services are currently held at Oaklands School, but with more than 250 people attending each week, space is running out. Church members gave thousands of pounds to fund the conversion of the derelict former Acomb Primary School into the Gateway Centre in 1999.

The facility is used for offices and church groups, but also provides a wide range of community activities including two weekly youth clubs, attended by more than 60 teenagers, and a mums and toddlers group.

Church leader John Wilson said: "The biggest room at the centre can only hold 100 people and we're up to capacity with the facilities we have. Building a new venue at the back would give us scope to do so much more.

"We want it to be a multi-purpose building that would not just be used on a Sunday morning.

"Obviously at the moment it is still in its very early stages and is dependant on finding the necessary finance."

Mr Wilson, who has been at the church for 13 years, said they also hoped to use the proposed auditorium as a concert and theatre venue, to "bring the arts back into the community".

He said: "Funding for the hall remains unresolved, but we trust God that the money can be found."

Co-leader Dave Shore, who trains a team of college-leavers in youth work, said: "The more we can do to serve people in Acomb the better.

"Clearly it has the potential to be a real focus for the community.

"There is a big need round here."

Sergeant Dave Sutcliffe, based in Acomb, said: "Anything that contributes to the community as a whole and makes life for youngsters more enjoyable we would support."

Updated: 11:09 Friday, February 08, 2002