A DROP-IN centre for the disadvantaged people in Winchester will be moving to a new site after civic leaders agreed to lease the charity a site in the city centre for the next 99 years.

The Trinity Centre, which offers support and advice for people suffering problems ranging from substance abuse to mental health, will be upping sticks from its current St Paul's Hill home.

Its new base will be Durngate House in Durngate Terrace, near North Walls police station, though a new building will have to be built before the charity can move, as reported in the Daily Echo last week.

Meanwhile the Trinity Centre's current premises will be demolished and new homes built in its place by social housing group Testway.

The decision to grant The Trinity Centre a lease on the Durngate site came following a meeting of Winchester City Council's Cabinet last week.

As well as giving permission for the move, councillors agreed to only charge the charity a peppercorn rent because of its contribution to the cost of the new building.

A clause was also agreed ensuring that if the charity does move before their lease is up, the new building can still only be used for community purposes.

Councillors also demanded that before the move could take place, the Trinity Centre must first carry out a public consultation exercise with local people.

However residents we asked last week said they weren't opposed to the move, as they felt the site was suitable because of it's central location, proximity to services, distance from nearby homes and closeness to the police station.

One of those asked was John Harding, 63, a former probation officer from St John's Street.

He said: "There's a real need for an organisation like The Trinity Centre in Winchester, and I think moving it closer to the city centre is an excellent idea. I'm certainly not opposed to it coming to Durngate House, not only because I think it's a suitable site, but also because clearly something needed to be done with the current building."

A spokesman for the city council said: "It's good news.

"The Trinity Centre will be able to carry its work running the drop-in, advice, medical, learning and administration centre within easy reach of the city centre and in more suitable buildings. The current site can be used for more social housing."

A spokesman for Trinity added: "It's fantastic news.

"Our current home is just too small for the services we want to offer, including better medical and educational facilities."