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St Nicholas Hospice has been presenting its case to town councillors for turning the Burton Centre into an outreach centre for the hospice.

Representatives of the hospice spoke to this week’s town council planning committee, where members, unhappy that they look like losing out on getting the building as a youth centre, had to bite their tongues and stick to planning considerations.

Kevin Clements, from the hospice, said they desperately needed the centre and had looked at several buildings in Haverhill. The Burton Centre was ‘by far and away’ the most suitable, he said.

In the light of local comment they had removed the retail part of their plan and their shop would remain where it was in the high street.

Town councillors, although stressing they supported the hospice in its search for an outreach centre, decided to maintain their objection to the plans as they would amount to a loss of amenity in the town centre.

The town council is still considering legal action against Suffolk County Council, which currently owns the building, and decided to pass it on to the hospice and not to the town council, via a process which the town council described as 'flawed' and is contesting.