Community groups given a month to find a new home

Organisations using a community centre have been given a month to find a new home after a council said keeping it open was no longer financially viable.

Groups have been told they must move out of Greenleys Community Centre in Milton Keynes by 12 June.

Lesley Myrtle, who runs a karate club, said: "We were really annoyed because of the short notice and need to find somewhere local that the kids are likely to come to – otherwise if we move out then we have got to start all over again."

A Milton Keynes City Council spokesperson said: "We have explored a range of options over recent years to continue operating the building."

Greenleys, about three miles (4.5km) from central Milton Keynes, is near Wolverton and MK Museum and two-thirds of its housing is rented.

The community centre has become a key meeting place as it is next to a group of shops and has 22 flats above it.

Inside are several rooms, plus storage facilities, a kitchen and a disused squash court.

It was being used by a pre-school, which has now moved to a local school, but two churches, a karate club and a barber's shop have been told to vacate the building.

Denise Matthews runs a weekly community club that she described as a "lifeline" for people ranging in age from one to 96.

"A lot of people have emotional and mental issues and rely on this. We have a homeless guy who comes, so to cut that completely... where would these people go?"

David Robertson, one of the leaders of Greenleys Community Club, said some of the people who came to the club were lonely and miserable when they arrived, but left smiling and joking.

"The fact we are being kicked out of here and all these people thrown on the scrapheap; it is very upsetting, annoying and frustrating," he said.

Myrtle said the karate club had been running for more than 30 years, during which she had taught 100 students, a couple of whom had brought their children back to join.

She said she had been exploring alternative venues, but they had "no storage and parking was really bad", while two halls in nearby Stacey Bushes had better parking "but no storage and the rent was more expensive."

A council spokesperson said: "Changes in occupancy have had a significant impact on income, and ongoing costs and maintenance requirements have become increasingly challenging.

"Despite efforts to identify an organisation to take on the premises, these discussions have not been successful.

"We recognise the impact this will have on current users and are available to support them as they make alternative arrangements."

"We will continue to consider the best options for the site's future and will engage further as plans develop."

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