THE management of a scheme to give Williton a village hall is being transferred to civic leaders after courting controversy for many years.

Behind the scenes talks have been taking place for several months between the Williton Village Steering Committee, the volunteer-led charity which has been leading the campaign, and Williton Parish Council.

Although campaigners have raised well over £100,000 in the last 12 years or so, the project reached stalemate following difficulties over securing access for disabled drivers and service vehicles to land bought for the development next to the Memorial Ground children's play area.

But this week parish councillors announced they would be taking over the running of the project, with the council becoming a corporate trustee for the charity.

Cllr Bill Vaughan told the authority's monthly meeting on Monday that they were waiting for formal agreement from the existing trustees before the transfer could be completed.

He said that in the long term, the steering committee would continue fundraising, although the council would take over the accounts.

Vice-chairman Cllr David Chadwick said the question of whether a village hall could be built on the land earmarked appeared not to have been addressed.

But Cllr Vaughan said that was not the issue: "We have said to the steering committee that we do not know what will happen," he said.

"We need to reunite the community behind this project - if that means taking it in a different direction, so be it."

At the start of talks Cllr Vaughan said he wanted to see the council - which has pledged around £20,000 to the project - more involved in decision-making and management.

The proposed development has divided opinion in Williton, leading to the formation of the Friends of Williton War Memorial Recreation Ground just over three years ago, a group opposed to any development on the ground and to the creation of the proposed limited vehicular access.

It even went as far as making a failed bid to win village hall status for the ground, a designation it believed would protect it from any future development.

The steering committee has made no comment on the new way forward but at Monday's meeting local resident John Holden appealed to the council not to get involved in the project.

Mr Holden said it was clear that the site bought by the steering group was unviable and he criticised the loss of what he described as substantial funds raised by the public over many years because of the purchase of the land.

"A village hall of the size proposed would need a great deal of money, not only to build but to run," said Mr Holden.

He said it should be supported by the whole community and should be self-financing.

"What has been done has been reckless and this council should not use more public money to attempt to put things right."