Dozens of campaigners fighting to save a sports hall watched on as a council admitted they “made a mistake” when they accepted proposals to cut the hall in half.

Members at William Penn Leisure Centre, near Rickmansworth, rocked up at Three Rivers District Council (TDRC) headquarters last night in one of the council’s highest attended meetings in its history.

They are aggrieved that the council pushed through plans to cut the sports hall in half, replacing one side with a soft play area, climbing wall, and café.

At the full council meeting, a motion was almost unanimously passed which gives councillors and officers the opportunity to reconsider options, which could keep the hall as it is.

Only Cllr Diana Barber, who proposed an amendment, abstained, and no councillors voted against the motion.

Earlier this year, TDRC accepted a bid from Everyone Active to take over half of the sports hall – used by around 500 members for a variety of sports including netball, badminton and taekwondo. But leisure members said they were not consulted and have since campaigned for TRDC to reverse its decision.

Eight questions were posed to Cllr Chris Lloyd, lead member for leisure, about William Penn. However, not all of the questions were answered properly, leading to discontent from those sitting in the public chamber.

Cllr Lloyd said the council had two bids to consider last September but were only left with one bid in the end; Everyone Active who would be awarded a 20 year contract.

TDRC said they "do not have the money available" to finance the sports hall which is believed to cost £63,000 a year to maintain.

The motion put forward last night keeps the club open for another year and the council will revisit the situation. The Conservative Party made an amendment to the motion, which would have seen the council continue the running of the hall for eight years but it was rejected.

At the meeting, leader of TDRC, Sara Bedford admitted the council had made a mistake and the decision should be made again.

She said: “We did not have all the correct information to hand previously so let’s make this decision again with all of the extra information. We don’t have the type of funding this place needs in its back pocket but I urge members to pass the motion so we have the opportunity to assess the centre’s needs. There is no easy way out but we are all in this together”.

Conservative leader Cllr Alex Hayward responded describing the situation as a “mess” and said her party felt “gagged” on the previous decisions adding that it was “not democracy”.

Lib Dem councillor Matthew Bedford added: “This motion now gives us breathing space and time to find a long-term solution."

Campaigner Carolyn Venn, who plays netball at the hall, said: “We are glad to have the stay of execution but I have no confidence in the council gathering the extra information, data and numbers of people who use the club.

“What I heard at the meeting is a lack of action to reverse the decision.”

If the motion had not been passed, work to halve the sports hall would have begun in September this year.

Read more: William Penn Leisure Centre sports hall to be halved