A HAMPSHIRE council has spent almost £170,000 moving groups that use a popular community centre to other venues.

Fareham Community Centre was condemned three years ago and its owner, the borough council, decided to tear it down to make way for social housing.

This meant having to find each of the user groups a new location to hold their meetings which has already cost the council £169,631.

A further £12,847 could be spent in the coming months on securing new homes for the final four remaining groups.

Fareham Borough Council leader Sean Woodward, pictured right, said the money had been set aside.

He added: "Initially we wanted to turn the Octagon Room at Ferneham Hall into the new community centre and set aside £350,000 before we scrapped that project because it wasn't feasible. Now most of the groups are going to Fareham Methodist Church.

"Each of the user groups made a request for funding so they can settle into their new environments and we are just agreeing the last payments."

When the idea of shutting down the 38-year-old community centre was first mooted it caused immediate uproar among the 12 groups who used it.

But the maintenance costs of looking after the crumbling building in Queens Road were too high and it will close its doors for the last time next month.

Mr Woodward added: "We believe that all the user groups are being given much better accommodation. By offering them these grants they can adopt a make and mend' approach in their new venues, which they couldn't do at the community centre."

Portsmouth Housing Association intends building 20 new flats on the site.