Work progressing well on Â£5.5m town hall upgrade

The century-old town hall is in the process of being transformed into a centre for heritage, arts,  culture and community use.

The new town hall – which East Dunbartonshire Council says will be “functional, flexible and fit for the 21st  century” – is due to open by late summer.

The council has provided a list of the work underway and work which has already  taken place.

Stonework repairs to York Place are almost complete and are moving on to Union Street, with work being done on the facade

The existing ceiling in the main hall has been removed to allow new works to go ahead, with scaffolding in place until February 2017

The balcony is being removed and new flooring placed.

The extension has been erected and work is progressing on walls and roofing.

Internal floor slabs have been cast and tanking  installed in basement areas.

Re-roofing works on stairs are taking place. Wall cladding will begin shortly.

The council has been working with development partner hub West Scotland, contractor CBC and East Dunbartonshire Leisure and  Culture Trust to develop the design since the start of 2015.

Support has been secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other external funders.

Plans include a ground-floor event space; new entrance, reception and  vestibule; first-floor heritage display, new office and community space, kitchen, store room, toilets and locker room.

The aim is that the new  facility is flexible enough to cater for a range of uses such as performances, events, weddings, heritage displays, receptions and meetings.

There will be an adjoining extension and the restored building will have a potential seating capacity up to 300.

Council Leader Rhondda Geekie said: “Work is progressing well on the rejuvenated Kirkintilloch Town Hall and I am looking forward to it opening in late summer 2017.

“It’s important to bear in mind that although the exterior of the town hall will be retained and refreshed, inside will be very different and specifically designed to be able to accommodate a variety of uses.”

As well as significant external funding, support has also been secured from the council’s capital programme.

The capital programme  is funded differently and completely separate from the  revenue budget, which pays for day-to-day services and  is experiencing huge pressures.