A COMMUNITY centre which users feared could be closed forever has reopened its doors following a £10,000 revamp The Addington Road centre, on the Platt Hill Estate in Deane, was shut for three months while owners, the William Sutton Housing Association, carried out a full refurbishment.

Work has included rewiring and underpinning to bring the building up to health and safety standards.

The move has been welcomed by members of the Platt Hill Residents Association, who feared for the future of the centre.

Secretary, Neil Garrity, said: "We welcome the reopening and we hope that groups that were affected by the closure have not suffered a permanent drop in membership. We hope this is the start of a more constructive relationship with the housing association."

Kevin McCloskey, community involvement worker at William Sutton Housing Association, said: "We said at the outset that the hall would be closed for around three months while this essential work was undertaken. We're delighted to report that work has been completed on schedule.

"Community centres are integral to our estates as places to socialise and share information. We are committed to the future of the centre at Platt Hill, and are now working closely with residents to ensure it meets their needs and future aspirations."

The housing association will now be consulting with local people about the best uses for the building and what further improvements are needed.

Training could then be given to residents to enable them to set up their own groups and funding applied for to carry out these further refurbishments.

The residents' association and William Sutton Housing Association have a history of dispute, having previously been at loggerheads over proposals to fell a tree and a start-up grant which residents claimed the housing association was withholding.

Any local people interested in finding out more about the centre can contact the William Sutton estate office on 01204 61610.