TEST Valley Borough Council has been urged to get plans for a new community centre up and running as soon as possible.

The council has committed £300,000 to build the community centre on the site of the old Way Out Club, on land between River Way and Pilgrims Way. The club folded in 1996.

In April 2000 a petition signed by 250 residents called on Test Valley to take action on the site and plans for a community centre took root.

A Community Association was formed and it has now been working for 17 months.

Association chairman Donald MacDonald said: "We have no facilities in the immediate area. If the elderly want to go anywhere they have to go to Cricketers Way which is a long way for them."

He believes a new centre will also help to build a community spirit and ultimately tackle problems of social exclusion and anti-social behaviour by young people.

A number of groups have already shown an interest in using the centre and the aim will be to work with professionals like the police, youth workers and Age Concern to ensure its success.

Mr MacDonald said: "All we want to do is to get the council moving as quickly as possible because although a lot of organisations have shown an interest, they don't want to get involved until the building is up and running."

Test Valley Borough Council could not say when an application would be submitted, but a spokeswoman said it had no desire to slow up the progress of a project for which it had committed £300,000.