DRINKERS at a social club have started a petition to save their bar from closure by Hertsmere Borough Council.

The Arundel Social Club, based at the publicly owned Threeways Community Centre, in Arundel Drive, say the council have not consulted residents properly on planned renovation work – likely to start in August.

The council argues the improvements, which will remove the bar and therefore the club, will open the centre to the wider community.

However, Karen Ward, manager of Arundel Social Club, believes the site is already used by a diverse mix of residents, partly due to the attraction of the bar.

She said: “The council hasn't bothered to speak to anyone. We want them to come down and take the comments of local people and see what they want.”

The club, which has around 200 members, has a growing list of signatures from its regular visitors and residents who have hired the centre, calling for the bar to be saved.

Mrs Ward said the club's presence in the centre has never stopped anyone hiring the hall and listed a history of regular bookings from Jewish faith groups to kickboxing classes as evidence it was being used by the wider community.

But, Councillor Brenda Batten (Con/Bushey Heath) said: “We have been liaising with Arundel Social Club for a number of weeks in relation to planned improvement works at the community centre.

“We do not need to consult to make improvements to our own facilities and we still believe that the work we are planning will enhance the facilities and make them more attractive to a wider audience.

“We will of course consider any constructive alternative proposals that are put to us, but this does not alter the fact that the centre will be closed while work is carried out."

The renovation will remove the bar and create a corridor allowing access to new partitioned rooms.

The council says this will allow youth and other community groups, who could not walk through the bar, to use the premises.

The 'Save Our Bar' petition is available to sign at The Threeways Community Centre, in Arundel Drive. So far it has more than 120 signatures.