THE home of a popular dance school has been saved from redevelopment as the building has been given back to the community. 

As previously reported, 24 Swan Street in Kingsclere was set to be sold by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC), with the view of it being turned into residential flats.

But it has now been decided that the building will be offered to Kingsclere Performing Arts and Youth Centre under a 25-year lease at a discounted annual rent of £31,550, rent-free for the first six months.

There is an option to purchase the freehold or to break the lease in the future.

READ MORE: Popular dance school site could be saved

The plan was approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, September 6.

The building is currently home to JLD School of Dance, as well as Kingsclere Performing Arts College (KPAC), and businesses such as Baughurst Blades and Eira's Equestrian Supplies.

A petition launched by Kingsclere Performing Arts and Youth Centre (PAYC) aiming to keep the building open to the community gained around 1,400 signatures. 

Borough councillors had decided at a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday, March 7 that 24 Swan Street didn’t fit into the council’s strategy and was no longer needed by the local authority.

However, the council later agreed to give the community the first opportunity to rent the building or make an offer to purchase the long lease on the building.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Cllr Kerry Morrow, who worked behind the project, thanked the officers who “put together the lease in words in a short space of time”.

He added: “It's an incredibly grand and historic building. It is now going to continue to be available to all the residents in Kingsclere and surrounding areas."

Council co-leader Gavin James said: “If you don't have facilities in your local area, people would drive to the nearest town to get those facilities. We think 24 Swan Street provides beyond just support for local businesses, but also a whole lot more.

“We wanted to find a way to make it available to the community to share with the commercial enterprise. So we've come to a hybrid situation where we're looking to reverse the previous decision of the cabinet to dispose of the property. The proposal is to offer the property to a community interest company.”

SEE ALSO: Three men arrested for drugs supply offences in Basingstoke

The plan is to use the historic building in the heart of the village to provide new community services including a homework club, community café, foodbank, uniform shop and a hub for young people in Kingsclere. A recording studio and small gym are also part of the plans.

This would complement the activities provided at the nearby Fieldgate Centre.