Airdrie Town Hall to get £3m revamp

Sep 9 2009 by Judith Tonner, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

THE redevelopment of the Sir John Wilson Town Hall in Airdrie has been given the green light after councillors approved the planning application.

Historic Scotland will now be asked to give the final go-ahead for the £3m project as the Edwardian building in Stirling Street is B-listed.

Work is due to begin this autumn and will involve building two separate extensions, at the front and side of the hall.

The major extension will create a glass frontage with stainless steel windows and polished ashlar stone along the main street.

It will house a ground-floor bar, ticket area and toilets, a first-floor bar, cafe, seating and toilets and a basement store room, and will mean that the accesses comply fully with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Meanwhile, the other extension will be a square two-storey tower to the south of the building which will house a lift to be used for transporting equipment to the stage.

Inside, the main hall will be soundproofed and will benefit from a new floor, while the plasterwork will be repaired and redecorated.

A survey of original features in the lesser hall, including cornicing and ceilings, will be undertaken.

There were no objections to the plan, which will also see the existing boundary wall, access ramp and railing replaced.

Planning officials noted: “The application is a prominent feature of the streetscape and forms a significant entrance to the town centre.

“The design and scale of the extension would allow it to be subservient to the existing building and would integrate satisfactorily with its historic and architectural importance.

“(Inside) it is intended for any modern alteration that is considered inappropriate to be removed to ensure the building retains its Edwardian look.”

North Lanarkshire Council granted planning permission for the project and must now wait for listed building approval from Historic Scotland but the Scottish Civic Trust and Architectural Heritage Society have both said they approve the plan.

The project, which has attracted a £500,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, means that the town hall – used for concerts, sporting events, dinner dances and weddings – will close for a year. Councillors hope that it will reopen as a major “cultural hub for North Lanarkshire and a base for arts professionals”, providing “a stimulus for urban regeneration”.