EARLY in 2001 I publicly gave my ideas on the proposed new church hall for Tottington St. Anne's.

To remind readers, what I suggested was an extension to the existing National School. I believe that had my proposal been taken up we would have avoided the opposition which has led to the plan recently being rejected by the council.

Neighbours, councillors, indeed anyone with a feeling for the well-being of the area, would have found nothing to object to. Of course, you always get one or two opponents and it is certainly their right to be so.

The person who planned the National School all those years ago looked at the nearby church and based his design on that. A good extension now would be one that a passer-by could not easily distinguish from the original adjacent school building.

Once a building is up, it is there for decades so it is important to get it right. Parts of the present Victorian extension, which in my opinion is a mess, could be salvaged and used in the new building. The golden rule it is to keep things simple, it works and it is cheaper. Inside, the building could be of the most modern design, with a lift at the entrance to cater for the disabled. There is absolutely no doubt that a new church hall is needed; the current one is virtually uninhabitable. I believe my ideas for it would be agreeable to the council and the objectors and I speak as someone who has worked on local buildings, and historical ones in particular, since 1957.

MELVIN MAGNALL MBE