A new £14.5m town hall in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, is getting ready to open to the public for the first time.

The glass-fronted structure has already been named Public Building of the Year at the Scottish Property Awards 2015.

It has been designed with a central 'high street' leading to the main hall and theatre space, the new Johnstone library, a coffee shop and meeting and conference rooms.

The ground floor also contains a ceremony suite and bases for Police Scotland and Macmillan Cancer Support, while offices for Renfrewshire Council staff and a dance studio are upstairs.


The building will be open to the public from Monday 23 March, but won't be fully operational until later in the year.

Staff from the council's housing department and Advice Works service will be in their new offices from that day, having moved from Floors Street and Collier Street.

Councillor James Harte, convener of Renfrewshire Council's Sport, Leisure and Culture Policy Board, said: "The project has been completed on budget and on schedule and we are thrilled to finally be able to open the doors.

"Johnstone residents have watched the new building rise from the ground over the past two years and this week will be their first chance to have a look around. The council has made a massive financial commitment to the project to help drive the regeneration of Johnstone and the building has changed the face of the entire town centre."

(IT/JP)