Huntingdon Town Council has vowed to work with the public on the future of the Medway Centre following proposals that could see the centre knocked down.

At a meeting of the lettings sub-committee on July 14, members agreed to set up a working party to discuss the future of the hall in the Oxmoor, Huntingdon.

Committee chairman, Councillor Tom Sanderson, said: “The Medway Centre will need some work doing to it and we will need some help with that. We need a suitable sum of money to progress with the Medway Centre over the next four to five years.”

The meeting heard that if the lease were to expire on the building then it would automatically revert back to Huntingdonshire District Council, as the authority owns the land that the building sits on. Since a public meeting was held in April, the town council has been in talks with the district council regarding the future of the site and that of the One Leisure building in St Peter’s Road, Huntingdon.

Town clerk Philip Peacock told the meeting that if the council were going to renew the lease on the Medway Centre from 2022 then this would be the only time it would be able to do so.

Those living at Medway Court and the surrounding area have launched a petition in order to persuade the council to keep hold of the Medway Centre.

Karen Posinik, who lives in Medway Court, near to the centre, said: “We are not going to sit on our hands and do nothing. We are not just going to sit there and take it because it is going to affect us.”

Fears were also raised that if the council decide to go ahead and build a new centre at Coneygear Park then it would take away a large amount of green space.

Resident Amanda Norton said: “We have very little open space and you are talking about cutting quite a chunk of it off. We don’t want it.”

The council will now seek to work with people from the Medway Centre User Group, The Friends of Coneygear Park and residents in the area.