The people of Johnstone in Renfrewshire are taking advantage of a first look inside their new £14.5m town hall this week, following its opening to the public.

The glass-fronted structure has risen from the ground over the past 18 months to scoop Public Building of the Year at the Scottish Property Awards 2015.

The development is home to facilities including a library, theatre/conference space, ceremony suite, coffee shop and meeting spaces. It also offers several council services under one roof, including a customer service centre, housing and social work offices, and AdviceWorks. Police Scotland and Macmillan Cancer Support are also based in the building.

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Renfrewshire’s Provost Anne Hall has been at the town hall this week to welcome the first visitors. She said: "The building has already won awards for its design, and looking around you can see why – it is bright and open and looks fantastic. The building and artwork within were designed in partnership with the people of Johnstone, so this is their building in more ways than one."

The development included improvements to the area around the building, while a community benefits programme saw local jobs created.

Council leader Mark Macmillan added: "The council made a massive financial investment in the town hall, which has been among the most significant public-sector building projects anywhere in Scotland over the past few years.

"We prioritised that investment in order to drive forward the regeneration of the town centre. We want this building to act as a catalyst for private-sector investment in the surrounding area, and are working with the relevant people – such as the landlords of the shopping arcade – to help make that happen."

The building won’t be fully operational until later this year, but the library, customer service centre and main halls are all open.

(IT/MH)