A NEW community sports hall could be built in Whalley after residents banded together to get the project off the ground.

The new sports facility would be built on part of the Queen Elizabeth Playing Field, in Mitton Road, and organisers are aiming to submit a formal planning application in the coming months.

Members of the village’s parish council and the Queen Elizabeth Playing Field Charitable Trust have come together to develop the project which also includes space to house the village’s Scout groups and a performance stage.

The chairman of Whalley Parish Council said that he expected the new sports hall to cost around £100,000 but said that this was a figure that could change significantly over time.

Coun Martin Highton said: “This is going to be a major project for the village and it will make a big difference in the community.

“The whole parish council is behind this scheme and is very much in favour of it.

“A feasibility test has recently been carried out and it will be presented to the parish council at a future meeting.

“I hope that its results are positive for the project and that we can move forward and submit a planning application.

“It’s a really exciting project to be involved in and I hope it goes smoothly.

“It would be the size of a couple of badminton courts and would not cover the whole area of the playing fields.”

Jon Smith, who is a trustee of the Queen Elizabeth Playing Field Charitable Trust, said: “We are all about providing the facilities that Whalley has so far been denied by other authorities.

“It will be a great addition to the village and a real community asset if we are successful. We are at the very early stages at the moment but the early signs are promising.”

Plans have already been submitted to Ribble Valley Borough Council to construct an outdoor games area, green gym and youth shelter in the playing fields.

The youth centre would be big enough to provide seating for 15 young people and that area at the side of the cricket ground is currently vacant.

The proposal was submitted to the council in June and it yet to be decided.