East Dunbartonshire Council has said it has secured £1.1m in fresh funding to help transform Kirkintilloch Town Hall.

The project would see the historic hall turned into a centre for arts, culture and community activity.

Applications for funding are still in the balance, but the local authority hopes these will be successful, which would allow the restoration work to go ahead. For the last 18 months, officers from the Council have been working to secure the much-needed funds for the scheme, and they have confirmed that contributions from the Scottish Government's Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (£600,000) and the Scottish Futures Trust (£500,000) have now been secured.

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The grants are in addition to a £475,000 Historic Building Repair Grant from Historic Scotland that was announced earlier this year.

The B-listed property has lain empty for almost a decade, but has been identified as a key priority of the local authority's Kirkintilloch Town Centre Masterplan.

Commenting on the new investment, Council Leader Rhondda Geekie said: "I am delighted at the good news that we have secured £1.1million towards the cost of the exciting Kirkintilloch Town Hall regeneration project.

"Officers within Development and Regeneration have been working incredibly hard to secure funding to bring this landmark building back into use.

"However, it must be stressed that we are still reliant on further funding to ensure the project can go ahead. I am hopeful we will be successful.

"It is an important part of the recently-approved Kirkintilloch Town Centre Masterplan, which contains a host of superb developments and ideas to regenerate the area.

"We very much value the support of funders such as the Scottish Government, Historic Scotland and Scottish Futures Trust. We have been delighted to work in partnership with Kirkintilloch Town Hall Restoration Trust and others on this important project."

(JP/CD)