Restoration and upgrade work at Lanark Memorial Hall is almost complete.

The Grade B listed building has been a focal point for the town and the surrounding area since it was constructed in 1926, but time and other factors led to the deterioration of the build.

As a result, South Lanarkshire Council placed emphasis on the landmark to restore the three-storey building to its former and practical state.

Contractors are due to hand the hall back to the council shortly, with the external works on the project due to be completed in the first in June.

Work can then begin on preparing for the installation of the new state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, IT equipment, furnishings throughout the kitchen and bar facilities as well as staff training on the building's systems and evacuation procedures.

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Following the handover of the external area at the start of next month, detailed landscaping will get underway, with the hall being fully completed by the end of June.

Councillor Hamish Stewart, Chair of the Council's Community Services Committee and Chair of the Board of South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture (SLLC), said: "Although the project has taken much longer to complete than originally planned, the end of the road is in sight and this wonderful building will soon, once again, be a focal point with fantastic new facilities to be enjoyed by the people of our community."

Mr Stewart added that legal agreements around the project were a "little more complicated" than anticipated, but commented that: "Ground works were affected at critical points in the project by extremely wet summers and unusually long cold winters. And unforeseen ground conditions led to the steelwork of the new build part having to be redesigned during the project."

(JP/CD)