Victorian town hall reopens after £350k revamp

A Victorian town hall in Lancashire has reopened after a £350,000 refurbishment.

Darwen Town Hall closed in May for the renovation, which includes making improvements to facilitate the relocation of the joint council and NHS services from Darwen Resource Centre.

Staff have returned to the 1882 neo-classical building although the front reception desk services will continue in the market hall until Tuesday.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has apologised for any inconvenience and thanked people for their patience during the revamp.

The works included internal alterations and improvements to nearly all areas of the town hall, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said

It follows a decision made by the council to designate Darwen Resource Centre as surplus to operational requirements, allowing for alternative commercial use with Darwen Town Hall identified as a suitable replacement location for its services.

Councillor for Darwen West ward, Dave Smith, said: "The work will help secure the future of one of the most important buildings in Darwen.

"Hopefully the planning application for the major work on Darwen Market Hall financed by the town deal will be submitted shortly."

Blackburn with Darwen Council allocated an additional £200,000 to the original £150,000 budget to improve flexibility of workspaces, allow additional areas to be included and address the maintenance backlog affecting the areas, bringing the total funding for the project to £350,000.

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