THE future of Chagford's hall is sparking debate and division in the community. The town's current Jubilee Hall is in urgent need of repair, and the suggestion was raised that it should be replaced by a new building. Almost 200 residents attended a meeting to discuss plans, at which it was suggested that a modern hall could be built on a corner of the village's Jubilee fields. A total of 134 residents voted in favour of the scheme, with only 44 opposed to using the site. But in the wake of the meeting the parish council was flooded with correspondence opposing the plans, including a large number of circulated petitions. In all, a further 264 signatures were received, arguing that the council should not build a new hall on the fields, while only 37 letters expressed support for the scheme. At the following parish council meeting on February 12 it was decided to abandon plans for a rebuild. The decision followed heated open debate, in which arguments against the new hall were based on the proximity of the children's playground to the proposed site, and the necessity of having open space in Chagford for the air ambulance to use. Defending the parish council's decision, clerk Pamela Stone said: 'There are two main assets in the village: the playing fields and the village hall. 'The council is committed to saving both. It is certainly not going to build on the only open space we have. 'The parish council does not oppose the creation of a new hall or the refurbishment of the old one, but it feels it has a duty to protect the Jubilee fields.' But those in favour of the hall argue that the construction will take up less than 6% of the Jubilee field. One resident, who has children, said: 'Those against the scheme keep arguing on the basis of the children's play area —but at the meeting, it was parents who were in favour of the hall and the improved facilities that it will mean for children.' He added that in recent years a tennis court had been built on the Jubilee field which had taken up almost four times as much space as the proposed hall. The chairman of the Jubilee Hall Trustees and vice-chairman of the parish council Robert Sampson said: 'I am currently working to bring all sides together to try and reach an agreement.'