A meeting was held yesterday to discuss plans which could result in the demolition of the old Regal Cinema site in Wymondham.Wymondham and District Ex Servicemen's Club, which owns the building, is facing a dilemma as surveys have shown that the premises, which date from the late 1930s, are in need of major repairs.

A meeting was held to discuss plans which could result in the demolition of the old Regal Cinema site in Wymondham.

Wymondham and District Ex Servicemen's Club, which owns the building, is facing a dilemma as surveys have shown that the premises, which date from the late 1930s, are in need of major repairs.

The club says it does not have the cash needed to refurbish the building. The alternatives are to demolish it and put up a replacement or consider selling the site for redevelopment and relocating - a proposal that club members have endorsed.

But the proposals have proved controversial and on December 21 more than 60 past and present club members attended a meeting at Wymondham's Central Hall to raise their concerns.

Former club secretary Jimmy Hurrell told the meeting: “It appears there is no money in the kitty to carry out an ordinary and sensible refurbishment scheme. There must be a reason for that.”

Former treasurer Bob Howes said he thought there had been a lot of scaremongering about the building and that it was not “going to fall down around our ears”. He added: “If the club was run on a viable basis there should be money in the kitty.”

But Gerry Wilson, a current committee member, said that it was not economically viable to bring the club up to the standard needed.

“We are looking at significant amounts of money that the club doesn't have, nor can get our hands on,” he said.

“It would be throwing good money after bad. To get the club up to today's standards is not economically viable.”

He added: “The idea is to move to another more suitable premises and continue as the tradition has been.”

The issue will be discussed at the club's next AGM in February.