PLANS to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee in Petersfield received a major setback this week when councillors decided to offer the town's main public hall to another group.

Members of the town council's public halls committee decided to offer the prestigious Festival Hall to the Penman Antiques Fair for the whole of the jubilee weekend next June.

They felt it was more important to look after the ratepayers of Petersfield, as the annual antiques fair would generate around £2,000.

But Paul Malloy, chairman of the group organising celebrations for the special occasion, was angry at the decision and said he could not believe what the council was proposing.

The Festival Hall was central to many of the golden jubilee committee's proposals for the celebrations, which include a ball, a second real ale and music festival and a concert.

Mr Malloy said: "Whatever we were going to do revolved around the Festival Hall. Who the hell wants an antiques fair over the golden jubilee weekend?

"The Festival Hall is a very important venue in the town and the ideal place for an event like this.

"Town mayor Ken Hick told me that the hall is going to be the venue for a show his group wants to produce to tie in with the jubilee.

"I have been approached by the Petersfield Real Ale and Music Festival committee, who wanted to hold another festival there.

"We had ideas to hold a concert of some sort or a giant ball which could involve the whole town."

Mr Malloy said he thought the hall had already been booked for golden jubilee activities.

But town clerk Barbara Macken said the hall had not been booked by anyone and the slot would be offered to the antiques fair organisers.

Town mayor Kenneth Hick said the Petersfield Operatic Society and the Hi-Lights would be staging a performance of "Merrie England" on the Friday night. He said the town needed to balance its interests.

He said: "It's a fact of life that we are now thinking a year ahead. The antiques fair probably booked the Friday and Saturday without realising it will be the Queen's golden jubilee weekend.

"We have got to balance our income against the needs of the people we seek to serve. I don't think there is a clash here."

But golden jubilee committee member Andy Owen, who is hoping to organise a variety of outdoor activities for the weekend, said the loss of the Festival Hall would be a big blow.

He said: "The Festival Hall would definitely be included in our plans for the weekend. I don't think an antiques fair is something the youth of the town would enjoy."

At the public halls committee meeting on Monday night George Watkinson said: "The antiques fair is held every year and the booking brings in £2,000. My feeling is that we ought to look after the ratepayers and offer this booking to Caroline Penman."