St Marks Church Hall - Closing?

Alarming rumours centre around the possibility of St Marks Church Hall being closed and sold. Home to the St Marks Mini Mice Pre-School, St Marks Scout Pack, the Brownies, a Dance Club, and numerous others the Church Hall is a popular and much loved local amenity.
A possible extension to the New Church Hall hasnt mollified concerned parents and users of the Old Hall. Quotes have been gathered for renovations - including a new heating system to replace the creaking old warm air unit - to see if it is feasible to keep the Hall going. It does seem odd that the Hall is apparently unable to pay its way. The loss of so many other Halls in and around Bournemouth over the last decade or so has made such places as rare as hens teeth!
Should the Church decide to offer the Hall for sale it does seem likely that Dave Wells is going to see the site as another golden opportunity to squeeze in too many small flats with no parking in an already crowded location. Local residents can look forward not only to the loss of a valuable indoor space but the subsequent loss of parking space in nearby roads. Its a lose - lose situation all round then.

A Bit of an Update....

Its been a long time since I last wrote anything on this Blog. A lot has happened. A new play park has been created near Slades Farm, we now have a splendid velodrome and even a dog exercise area! The fences have been removed from around the skate park and signs have sprung up reminding us that access to the woods is a privilege - not a right and can be removed at any time. Some footpaths have been improved and a new tenant has taken over the horse paddocks.

As far as development goes, well.....the Secretary if State has 'called in' the proposed development behind the University. The severed gardens adjacent to Alton Road remain undeveloped and the top horse paddock behind the graveyard, is, I am assured, absolutely safe from any development. I called the Planning Dept at Bournemouth Town Hall and was advised that a 'Local Plan' precluded any development of the paddock but did allow some other sites.

Savilles Proposed Development Sites in the Historic Talbot Village Area

Daily Echo - 1st Challenge to University Housing Development

Secretary of States Refusal - 2012