THE PRIEST behind controversial plans to knock down a New Forest church has now urged council bosses to step in and buy it or let him get on with it.

In a letter to New Forest District Council and Hampshire County Council, parish priest Ray Lyons says that unless the council buys St Bernard's Church in Holbury, he will assume that they support his plans to redevelop it.

Father Lyons has come under fire for his plans to sell the land - thought to be worth £300,000 - to go towards a £1.5 million Catholic superchurch in the central Waterside area.

He has lodged an appeal after he was refused planning permission to knock down what planners called a "valuable and viable facility" to make way for four bungalows.

He has since angered users of the church by giving them notice to find alternative premises.

In the letter he says: "There are at least 31 suitable alternative community facilities in and immediately around Fawley parish.

"I invite you to provide the necessary funds in your 2000/2001 budgets so that you would be in a position to make a realistic open market development value offer for the site."

"If you fail to do so we and the wider community will be forced to assume that you do not consider it a genuinely 'valuable and viable facility' and that you will support our application to redevelop the Holbury site."

He told the Daily Echo: "We believe that the responsibility to provide community facilities lies with local authorities or other publicly-funded bodies.

"They should not rely upon registered charities to provide community facilities at their own cost while they close the facilities they own on behalf of the public."

He added: "Within 600 yards of St Bernard's there are two publicly owned halls, Colours Youth Club and Holbury Hall, which are either grossly under-used or closed because of funding cutbacks."

Martin Devine, assistant director of leisure services at New Forest Council, said: "We would support what the planning department has said as in Holbury there are many low-income households without cars, and public transport is not all that it might be." He refused to confirm whether the council would consider buying the church, but added: "Never say never. Lots of buildings get recycled in their lifetime."

Fr Lyons has already been given permission to demolish St Michael's Church, Langdown, Hythe, to make way for one-bedroom flats.

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