AS THE chair person for Haxby Playgroups committee, I would like to comment on your article Hall Or Nothing (July 26).

We have been told time and again that the Memorial Hall would cost too much to be brought back to its full glory. The site survey states this would cost £300,000. Even to extend to the back of the building would not cost anywhere near the £3 million which the Huf design has been priced at.

Our manager is correct in saying the Huf option is not suitable. I would like to emphasise her concerns regarding glass walls, which would mean anyone could watch the children, and serious security issues with too many doors leading into the main room and the question of control over who comes into the building.

Storage for our equipment is always an issue but would be made even worse due to storage requirements of a new folding stage, tables, chairs and other user's equipment.

We have been ignored in the planning process for a new hall. We have presented reports every year stating our needs, and every set of plans over the past five years has still not met these requirements.

Mr Roberts stated we would be consulted and Ofsted regulations met, but why have they wasted public money producing plans again and again with the same issues unresolved? This is a community building for the community, Haxby Playgroups is the community playgroup and has been for 37 years.

Haxby Memorial Hall is not crumbling. It could be brought back to life for substantially less than £3 million and would still be there a lot longer than any new building would be.

Caren Vollans,

Chairperson for Haxby Playgroups and life long resident of Haxby,

Birch Lane,

Haxby.

Updated: 10:56 Thursday, August 11, 2005