A RAY of hope has been offered to former users of Basingstoke's popular Carnival Hall that a move to renovate and re-open it could get the green light by the end of the month.

At a borough council meeting on Thursday night, deputy leader Rob Donnelly said the council would revive the run-down 1960s building if a quote for necessary repairs proved to be a "reasonable figure".

The building was gifted to Age Concern by the council after the collapse of the original Carnival Committee but the charity handed it back to the council last summer because it could no longer afford the cost of repairs.

The hall was boarded up and has been under threat of demolition ever since - leaving many local groups without premises for their community activities.

At a Cabinet meeting on February 25, members of pensioners' clubs packed the room to press for the hall to be repaired.

Cllr Donnelly last week confirmed that council officers were gathering quotes for the work.

He said: "The building is in a poor state of repair but we believe it could be brought back into use for a reasonable figure, and we expect quotes by the end of this month.

"We may then propose to spend some money on maintaining that facility."

He added: "We can probably keep the hall going at a reasonable cost and make it available to community groups.

"A central venue in Basingstoke is desirable for many groups."