A PLAN to create a £1m community centre, pavilion and sporting facilities for two villages with a combined population of 400 has received a major boost after securing a grant to stage a Royal Institute of British Architects design competition.

The £32,400 grant, awarded to the parish council and playing fields association at Sessay and Hutton Sessay, near Thirsk, is expected to attract entries from architects from around the world and judges will include acclaimed designer Wayne Hemingway.

Mr Hemingway said: “I think it is great that a small village community such as Sessay is placing the desire for great design at the heart of the thinking about the new community building and I look forward to seeing the designs coming through and how they complement this fantastic setting.”

It is the first Government Homes and Communities Agency’s Community-led Project Support Programme grant to be awarded to a community group to stage one of the institute's competitions.

The winning proposal will replace the early 1970s village hall, which has become costly to maintain, with a building that is sympathetic to the village's heritage and links to an agricultural estate, which includes numerous houses built by celebrated 19th century architect William Butterfield.

It will also provide a second cricket pitch for the village's cricket club, which won the National Village Knockout Tournament at Lords in 2010 and has an exceptionally strong following with a large junior section.

The proposal will also include a multi-use games area for tennis and other sports, outdoor adventure play equipment, exercise equipment and allotment gardens.

The winning architects will be appointed in January ahead of a planning application being submitted in the spring and moves to raise funds for the scheme which could take ten years to complete.

The scheme, which is hoped will rejuvenate the community and facilitate a range of new activities, follows a year of consultations with villagers and the production of a Community Plan.

Parish council chairman John MacPherson said: “We want the scheme to deliver the highest standards in design, functionality and construction and hope to provide a new community building that takes into account the special features of the parish.

“We recognise and respect the sense of local history and tradition that exists here, yet strive to provide a modern and sympathetically-sited new building that is light, bright and airy.”