3:00pm Tuesday 9th February 2010
By Craig Evry
Work could start on the refurbishment of the Laverton Hall in Westbury before the end of the month.
The town council’s offices will be relocated within the building, into the former snooker hall, with a dedicated office for the town clerk, as part of a £95,000 project.
Builders Gregory Thain, from Corsham, who will be carrying out the work on the historic building, and representatives from King Sturge, who are overseeing work behalf of the town council, were due to meet yesterday to finalise arrangements.
Moving the town council offices and installing a lift will be stage one of a wider project to revamp the building, and create a facility fit for community use.
Once the 12-week project is complete, a public consultation will be held to find out what residents would like to see happen to the rest of the building, including the main hall.
The town council has borrowed £105,000 from the Public Works Loan Board over 10 years, to fund stage one of the project, at a fixed rate of 3.15 per cent interest per year.
The total amount to be repayed by the council will be about £123,000.
In addition to the refurbishment, some of the money will be spent on a new computer and phone system.
Cllr Stephen Andrews, who has been chairman of the Laverton Institute Trust for the past 18 months, said: “I am hopeful we will start before the end of the month, so we’re looking at May for the completion date.
“There should be very little disruption to the working of the Laverton, until they get to doing the lift, which enters onto the main hall.”
He said Matravers School had already registered an interest in using rooms left vacant by the relocation of the town council offices, as well as the main hall, for events like photography exhibitions.
Meanwhile in Warminster, town councillors have insisted that no firm decision has been made to switch its offices from Dewey House to the Assembly Rooms.
Residents will get a chance to ask questions about the proposed project on the Mayor’s Community Day, scheduled for February 27, from 10am to 4pm.
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