BRAMSHOTT and Liphook Parish Council has revealed it plans to invest large amounts of money into the Millennium Centre over the coming years.

Millennium Centre management committee chairman Michael Croucher explained that the 17-year-old building, which is at the heart of social and community events in the parish, was never finished off properly, and requires money to be invested in its maintenance.

He quoted a sum between £80,000 and £100,000 over the next two to three years. Following a feasibility study to consider moving the council office from the Haskell Centre in Midhurst Road to the Millennium Centre, council chairman Jane Ives announced talks are now taking place with architects and surveyors to work out the costs of a move and expansion of the centre.

She said the council is keen to relocate its office to a central point in the village, which will be easy for members of the public to visit.

Mr Croucher pointed out the feasibility study showed the parish council office could be moved to an area next to the former police office at the back of the hall and said plans had been drawn up by Adrian Bird, a local architect, free of charge.

Talks about the expansion are already taking place with East Hampshire District Council, the local planning authority.

In addition, a refurbishment of the first floor is planned, which will create more storage space for rent and add an extra meeting room, bringing additional income to the centre. The Heritage Centre on the first floor will not be affected when these works are carried out.

Plans are also in place to refurbish the two main meeting rooms on the ground floor, which currently are looking very shabby.

In addition, the council is making plans to improve public conveniences and is looking at installing unisex toilets, which comply with modern standards. Mr Croucher explained it was a way of making more space available.

Unisex toilets are already widely in use elsewhere ,he added.

The council is also planning to install wireless CCTV cameras around the centre to prevent vandalism, litter and theft, after having recently repaired the broken amphitheatre at the back of the hall.