PLANS to build a new £500,000 state-of-the-art community hall on the Endway car park in Had-Leigh have been submitted to Castle Point Council.

Leigh-based BGA Arch-itects were due to submit the outline plans for the site off Castle Lane yesterday, with a planning meeting set to take place in December.

The news has been welcomed by the Endway Community Association, which was set up to try to get the car park re-developed after the British Legion Hall closed down in July.

Neil Hamper, chairman of the association said: “We are pleased about the news.

“But it is very early days and the first thing we need to do is get the support of the council.

“Our idea is to make the hall a community hub which has something for everyone. Anything from a bowling club to a creche.

“It will also be built with the environment in mind. If built, it will have solar panels on the roof to heat the building. We will try to recycle rain water, so it can be used in the building.

“This is a very positive step forward. All our members are being appro-ached at every step of the way, to make sure everyone is happy with the plans.”

The new hall will be a two-storey block with a main hall catering for clubs, dances and bowling, with a kitchen and toilets on the ground floor.

A gallery-style room is proposed for the second floor, with a series of small meeting rooms.

The British Legion Hall was constructed in the Thirties. The council considered it unsuitable for the requirements of a modern community hall.