PLANS to build a multi-million pound community sports hall in Malvern town centre have been put on hold.

Malvern Hills District Council's executive committee has decided the council could not afford a £2.7m bill for a sports hall to be built in Priory Road.

Now councillors have put the plans on ice until further funding becomes available, and have instead opted to back a £900,000 improvement scheme for the Splash leisure centre.

The option will entail the district council digging into its pockets to the tune of £400,000.

This will nearly double the £500,000 that contractor SLM, which runs the Splash, has offered to put into upgrading and improving all facilities, while it also ensures SLM retains a 10-year operating contract for the centre.

But councillors insist a sports hall development is still very much on the agenda.

"Councillors decided not to abandon the sports hall project but to wait until funding becomes available," said Ian Mumford, of the district council.

"It's very definitely something councillors still want to pursue. The council wants to provide a sports hall for local people but circumstances don't allow it at the moment."

The idea of a community sports hall was welcomed by Malvern people earlier this year during a public consultation by the district council.

Thirty two per cent of respondents favoured the council finding a funding partner to help develop a sports hall at Priory Road or elsewhere while 67 per cent favoured schemes to provide community use of existing schools sports halls.

Only 1 per cent favoured doing nothing.

The committee also abandoned the idea of building more changing rooms and improving the sports halls at Malvern's two high schools to enable them to be used by local people.