Proposals are in place to transform Kirkintilloch Town Hall into a centre for heritage, arts, culture and community use.
Plans for the facility are currently on display at Kirkintilloch Community Hub until 27 August, after which they will be on show at Kirkintilloch Canal Festival between 29 - 30 August.
Work is due to start next month on the exterior of the B-listed town hall, subject to planning permission, to restore and replace stonework where required.
Plans for the building include:
• Ground-floor event space.
• New entrance, reception and vestibule.
• First-floor heritage display, reflecting Kirkintilloch's rich history (in association with EDLC).
• New office and community space.
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• Kitchen, store room, toilets and locker room.
The project aim is to create a facility which can cater to a range of uses, such as performances, events, weddings, heritage displays, receptions and meetings.
An adjoining extension is also being considered, with the restored building having a potential seating capacity of up to 300.
The project is expected to cost approximately £4.9m.
External funding support has been secured from the council's capital programme while a bid for support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is being progressed, potentially taking the secured funding tally to over £2.1m.
A planning application covering the whole project is being submitted, with a view to work starting on the interior of the town hall in early 2016.
Work is expected to take approximately one year.
The council has been working with development partner hub West Scotland, contractors and East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture (EDLC) Trust to develop the design since the beginning on 2015.
Scott Hill, Chair of EDLC Trust, said, "I am delighted that significant progress is being made on the town hall - with both the Council and Trust working in partnership to maximise outcomes in terms of heritage, community and people in Kirkintilloch."
Council Leader Rhondda Geekie added: "The exterior of the new Kirkintilloch Town Hall will be retained and refreshed, but inside will be radically different - able to accommodate a variety of uses and creating an ongoing revenue stream which will be used to off-set the building’s running costs."
(LM)
