Town hall plan progresses but costs scupper hub

3 hours ago

News image — A final decision on whether to turn Penrith Town Hall into an events space will be taken later this year

Westmorland and Furness Council The exterior of Penrith Town Hall. It has an ornate stone, sand-coloured entrance porch which creates a balcony at the first floor. There are colourful flowers, trees and bushes in front of the red stone building. — A final decision on whether to turn Penrith Town Hall into an events space will be taken later this year

Plans to breathe new life into a Grade II listed town hall have been progressed but another proposal to create an enterprise hub has been dropped due to financial concerns.

Westmorland and Furness Council agreed an outline business case for a £5.7m redevelopment of Penrith Town Hall into an events space with up to 120 seats for performances, alongside areas for flexible working and a cafe.

A final decision on whether to go ahead with the scheme will be made in December.

However, councillors said the conversion of a former Barlcays bank at Penrith's Market Square into an enterprise hub "was not financially sustainable in the long term".

Councillor Helen Chaffey described the town hall as a "beautiful building with so much to offer the community".

A consultation will be held on a proposal to move Penrith and Eden Museum into the refurbished property, paid for using part of a previously announced £7m government grant and £500,000 from the Borderlands Place Programme.

'Unacceptable risk'

Commenting on the decision not to press ahead with the Eden Enterprise Hub project, council deputy leader Andrew Jarvis said "the financial environment has changed".

"The revenue pressures associated with the Barclays building make the enterprise hub scheme financially unsustainable.

"Continuing would expose the council to unacceptable financial risk," he said.

The authority will now re-allocate £2m previously earmarked for the hub to other projects.

Westmorland and Furness Council The entrance to Nan Tait Centre - a red brick building with columns either side of the stepped entrance. There are leaded windows flanked by sand coloured stonework. — The council claims it has "absolutely no intention" of selling or closing Barrow's Nan Tait Centre

Councillors also discussed the future of the Grade II listed Nan Tait Centre in Barrow which was among 10 land and building assets declared surplus to requirements at a meeting earlier this week.

Several charities and community organisations are based there.

Jarvis said the surplus designation was a "necessary first step" towards a potential transfer to community ownership and that talks would be held with interested groups.

"Sometimes we have an asset that is being used by community, where partners or parishes are interested in exploring taking on the asset as a community asset transfer," he said.

"This is the case with the Nan Tait Centre.

"Our interest here is to take further our discussions with the partners, there is absolutely no intention of selling off this building or closing it."

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