A COMMUNITY is waiting on tenterhooks for news of a grant to replace a condemned lift at the Victoria Rooms in Fordingbridge.

The dilapidated platform lift is to be replaced with a state-of-the-art stair lift, to take people safely up the 31 steps to the top of the building.

However, people with disabilities are no longer able to access the upstairs rooms and have to remain downstairs.

The lift has been working efficiently for 30 years until a person got stuck in it two years ago.

Since then the lift has needed continual repair and the committee of the Victoria Rooms launched a fundraising campaign to finally replace it.

Now the committee is waiting to hear about an application to WYG Global Consultancy.

Chairman of the Victoria Rooms committee John Saunders expects the chair to cost about £7,000.

And if the bid is successful, work to replace the lift will start in the coming weeks.

Mr Saunders said: “For 30 years the lift, which is an open platform lift, has worked very well. However, a couple of years ago someone got stuck in it although it may have been a problem with the use of the controls.

“There have been many problems with the lift recently and it has been condemned.

“Now we have decided to replace the lift with something far simpler, such as a chair lift.

“We have three rooms upstairs which cannot be reached by disabled people because the lift no longer works.

“It means that when we have groups of people with a disabled person they have to remain downstairs in the main hall because they could not climb the 31 steps to the upstairs area.”

Funds have flooded in from Fordingbridge Co-Operative, who has given the committee £800 for the new lift.

And part of the proceeds from the staging of Stardust by the Forest Forge at the Victoria Rooms will go towards the chair lift.

Mr Saunders added: “I want to thank the generosity of the Co-op who has raised a great deal of money towards the new lift. I hope to hear from our grant application soon so we know whether to keep on fundraising in earnest or organise the installation of the chair lift.”

A spokesman from WYG said he was unable to comment as the application was still being examined.