MEMBERS of the Acorns 2000 Early Years Centre committee, who planned to bring all the local children's agencies under one roof in Petersfield, say they are to appeal against East Hampshire District Council's planning refusal.
The chairman, Anne Hammond, says the decision by EHDC planners could leave the existing toy library and parents' drop-in centre homeless.
She said that as the project has been turned down, committee members will be forced to look for a new base for the facilities that currently use the Portacabin at The Avenue, which is under notice.
"We still feel that the site is ideal because it is in walking distance of both Petersfield infant and Herne Farm junior schools.
"There is plenty of open space for the after school club and holiday play scheme to use and 50 per cent of the envisaged activities are already happening on the site in the Portacabin and pavilion."
Mrs Hammond said she believes the Acorns 2000 Early Years Centre would solve the problem of a lack of indoor facilities for youngsters and said that it would make good use of the under-used Avenue playing fields.
She said: "Other than the activities of the after school club and holiday play scheme, the playing field is at present seriously under utilised.
"Petersfield is desperately short of indoor community facilities for children.
"It also renders the toy library and the parents' drop-in centre homeless as the Portacabin is under notice to go at the end of this year."
The district council has received 12 letters of objection to the plan from residents and from the Hampshire Playing Fields Association, which claimed that the development would constitute the loss of valuable open space.
EHDC planning officer Chris Lyons said: "We support the concept of the early years centre but we do not feel this is the site for it.
"We think there are other sites which could be considered in Petersfield and we do not think this plan justifies the loss of open space."