CRUNCH time approaches for Bridestowe's village hall.

The hall committee will soon decide where a new hall should be sited, but first it is asking for residents' views on the issue.

Following numerous meetings, which have taken place over a four-year span, and a village appraisal, outline planning applications were submitted to West Devon Borough Council last week for permission to build at two different sites.

The first application is to replace the existing village hall at Tanyard Court with new premises.

The second is to build on part of the primary school's playing field — an offer made by the school governors and Devon County Council. This building would be used jointly by the villagers and the school.

David Porter, chairman of the sub-committee for the new village hall project, said the decision to apply for outline planning was made after a six-month in-depth study of ten possible sites around the village.

He said eight had been rejected and the advantages and disadvantages of each site were documented and available to the public.

The hall, built in 1920, is in a poor state and a survey, commissioned in 1996, said it would not make economic sense to modernise it. A brook separates the hall from the village sporting green, the venue of the annual ram roast.

'The existing hall is almost at the end of its life,' said Mr Porter. 'We could very soon be without a hall for things which we take for granted — the harvest supper, the ram roast, toilet facilities, the Follies, short mat bowls, quiz night, the Christmas dance, the doctor's surgery and so on.'

He urged villagers and organisations to write to the committee by leaving a letter at the post office.

But the final decision on where to build could divide the village.

Laura Leigh, chair of the hall committee, said: 'Our difficulty is that when we carried out the village appraisal to ask whether people wanted a hall on the existing site, only a slight majority were in favour.

'A lot of people think the school site would be a good place for a hall —but some people are opposed because they want to retain independence.

'If we did look to build on the school playing field we would not want to lose control of the facilities to Devon County Council — we have a lot to think about.'

Mrs Leigh said the committee wants residents to be 'constructive' and write to the planning authority in favour of one plan or the other.

'This is a testing time for the committee and I don't think we will please everyone,' said Mrs Leigh.

'They need to voice their preference and this will help us to make a decision — although this sort of thing is never easy.'

Once planning permission has been granted, the committee intends to go for Lottery funding.

'Depending on what sort of facilities we plan to build, we will be applying to any organisation interested in helping us,' said Mrs Leigh.

'I think we will get between 80 and 90 per cent and we shall have to raise ten per cent.'