A £2.2m initiative to repair and refurbish Campbeltown Town Hall is to begin next month, it has been confirmed.

It is thought work can now begin on the historic building following an asset transfer from Argyll and Bute Council to the South Kintyre Development Trust (SKDT).

In a statement, the local authority confirmed all the necessary funding required for the project had now been secured. The build will cost around £1.8m, with operating costs of £400,000 for the next five years.

The council has contributed £687,000 from its CHORD regeneration initiative and the Campbeltown Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) for the work, while the SKDT has recently secured more than £200,000 from Historic Scotland to bridge a funding gap.

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Within the next couple of weeks, the trust will now appoint a local contractor to carry out the work. The work includes repairs to the exterior stone, repointing and repainting, re-slating the roof, repairing the gild weather vane, overhaul of the windows including the installation of slimline double glazing, new toilet facilities for up to 200 people, including disabled toilets and baby changing facilities, the installation of a discrete ramp and disabled lift, installing a semi-commercial kitchen and a new sports floor in the main hall, reinstating cornicing to replicate the original design, and renovating the original oak and Italian marble panelling throughout the building.

In addition, a new stairwell will be installed in the rear lane to allow the capacity of the main hall to increase from 60 to 200 people.

When completed, the hall will become a community hub with offices to rent, conference and meeting facilities and a 'one stop shop' for accessing services for local organisations and community activities. The main hall will also be available to hire for civic and community events such as weddings, ceilidhs, coffee mornings and exhibitions.

(JP/IT)