THE group making a renewed bid for a youth facility at Montrose House in South Street has expressed dismay at its plans being rejected because of fears expressed by elderly residents.

Months in preparation, the project would have brought a range of social facilities and professional advisory services for teenagers, offering a permanent base in the town centre.

However, members of a Waverley Borough Council planning committee voted unanimously against its officers' advice to reject the project despite £500,000 financial backing being pledged towards its running costs from government, Surrey Social Services and other charitable sources.

A petition was also gathered in support of the proposal, signed by hundreds of local youngsters, which was recently presented to the council.

Amongst Waverley's chief concerns were complaints from pensioners at Home Park retirement flats who were worried by the prospect of vandalism, noise disturbance and litter.

Meetings had been held with the Farnham Youth Consultative Group (FYCG), who are behind the scheme, and residents were not convinced young people would be adequately supervised.

The town's CAB, which has also been vying for use of the building, also lodged objections. It claimed that reducing the centre's opening hours (from an original application last year) would not solve the problem of being near elderly people. Proposals for an accompanying picnic area in Gostrey Meadow were also criticised by the advice centre.

Adding to the chorus of disapproval, Farnham Town Council's planning committee labelled the site as unsuitable for young people.

A frustrated Rev David Adams, FYCG chairman, said: "I wish to register my bitter disappointment. The new council has failed to grasp a golden opportunity to make adequate provision for youth.

"It has made a clear statement to yet another generation of Farnham's young people that they are of no account to those who are elected to provide for them.

"As things stand now, young people will have to continue to look for most sources of practical help from Aldershot, Guildford and Godalming."

He added the decision appears to have been made on grounds of prejudice about youth, and could have stood as an example of "demonstrating young and old moving away from distrust to learn mutual respect".

Responding to the council suggestion that more use be made of the Farnham Youth Project in Dogflud Way, he said without significant funding that building was unsuitable as an advisory centre.

Sharing his sentiments, Paula Willis, 16, also a FYCG representative, said young people in the town really needed such a facility, and she felt the decision showed a prejudicial attitude towards young people.

"I think a lot of people would have made good use of it, but we are not giving up on this," she said.

Leading the initial bid to use the Montrose House for youth purposes, the county councillor for Farnham South, David Munro, said he was "once again depressed" by the attitude of council members in believing young people were not wanted in the town centre.

Victor Duckett, the chairman of the borough's western area planning committee, said its members agreed that, although a youth advisory centre is required, Montrose House was not the best location.

"There was a long debate about this, but no one spoke in favour of the application as they believed it was the wrong place - but we agree with the concept of it."

Gabbie Joyce, of the CAB, defended its objection to the FYCG plans. She said it would be continuing to pursue its bid for use of the still vacant building. Significantly, she said it would be offering the opportunity for youth advisory services to be conducted there if required.

The FYCG are set to hold another public meeting in Church House on July 3 to find an alternative option.