A SCHEME for a controversial community centre which was refused Government funding is set to take off.

The plan for Worcestershire's first purpose built multi-community services centre on land at a Kidderminster school would be built with County Council cash instead.

A consultation exercise is to start in September with parents of children at St George's First School.

It will seek public support for a £460,000 scheme that would bring both public and voluntary services, with a nursery, under one roof.

If Worcestershire County Council gets the community backing it wants from residents in the Hurcott Road area of Kidderminster, detailed drawings for a building to include the old school caretakers' home could be with architects by the end of the year.

There are nearly 30 Early Excellence Centres in the country financed under an innovative Government scheme for urban areas of high community need.

But the Kidderminster centre would be among the first to be financed by the local authority in an area not on the Government's high priority list.

Earlier this year, the council failed in a bid for money from the Early Excellence programme fund of the Department of Education and Employment.

But having found the bulk of the money from county council coffers, leaving a shortfall at present of just £82,000, the county council early years development unit is confident the scheme is achievable and the extra money will be found.

Starting with a county council mainstream nursery school, the range could include anything from after-school care to computer training for adults.

But it could also extend to such services as counselling for people with family and marital difficulties.

County council Early Years Development Officer Alison Hitchins said the plan has been outlined to the Horsefair and Broadwaters Community Neighbourhood Partnership.

"We emphasised we are not planning to replace any of the services already operating in the area but to enhance them.

"We will be looking closely at what the needs are in that particular community and talking to the providers."

She said the idea of providing a single building was to "take the stigma" out of visiting a help centre.

But the scheme has been greeted with caution from some sections of the community.

St George's First School community representative Dennis Chance said that until there was more information "we are entitled to assume that what is proposed could be detrimental to us in Greenhill."