The petition to keep Crosfield Hall at its current location has been handed into civic chiefs

Hilary Philbin's campaign finished with 2,720 signatures in total.

The petition lasted from February 16 to April 16 and was hosted online and at 14 places around the town.

The issue has been hugely controversial with the recent announcement of the next round of consultation launching this summer.

A new Citizens' Assembly will be held in June and July, five years on from the previous one. This will give residents the chance to have a fresh say on the hall's future. 

Mrs Philbin recently handed in the petition at the Former Magistrates' Court near Romsey Abbey.

She said: “I had decided to keep the petition duration quite short at two months, but it's increasingly clear that if it had continued for the more normal three-six months we would have gathered significantly more paper signatures. 

“Even in the last week more businesses were coming forward offering to take signature forms.

“However, the petition ran long enough to give a snapshot of the strength of feeling within Romsey on this issue, and I'm pleased that more than 2,700 chose to voice their opinion in that time. Hopefully some notice will be taken.”

Community groups wanting to participate in the next consultation should email romseyfuture@testvalley.gov.uk