TALKS on the possible conversion of Winchcombe Parish Hall into affordable flats for rent have been given the go-ahead by town councillors.

They agreed to start negotiations with the Dents and Chandos Trust, which runs the town's almshouses, at their meeting last week. (March 5) Earlier this year the majority of local residents who responded to a town council survey voted in favour of selling off the hall in Cowl Lane, which is in a dilapidated state and would need hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on refurbishment.

As a result, the parish hall committee will enter into talks with the Dents and Chandos Trust, which has proposed that it carries out the work on converting the building to flats in return for a 99-year lease.

The trust has already had an architect look at the hall and has been told that conversion would be feasible.

Town clerk Terry Willett said: "There are single people out there that need accommodation and there is not much of that type of accommodation in Winchcombe."

She said it was possible that grant funds might be available to help pay for the conversion work.