Town hall undergoing multi-million pound revamp

The town hall will undergo a major refurbishment to help increase revenue

A town council hall is undergoing a major £5.4m redevelopment in an effort to increase revenue for the local economy.

Under the plans, Somerset's Bridgwater Town Hall's theatre will be refurbished to make it more accessible. The building's environmental credentials will also be improved, and unused rooms will be transformed into functional spaces.

Bridgwater Town Council confirmed £3.9m of the total cost will come from a loan.

A council spokesperson said all the work is fully costed, and there will be no requirement to increase council tax.

Residents told the BBC that they hope the improvements will bring business to the surrounding area, as the town hall does not serve its own food.

However, some are concerned that the money could have been spent better elsewhere.

'Great for the town'

Deb Richardson, from the educational charity and film production company Somerset Film, uses the venue.

She told BBC Radio Somerset: "There are times when we need a bigger venue. The cultural programming of that venue is really diverse.

"I think it's great for the town. I think it's an investment into local people.

"This is a venue that anyone can hire, and why shouldn't they have great facilities?"

Some of the residents in Bridgwater however are worried that the money should have been spent on fighting anti-social behaviour instead.

To this, Ms Richardson added: "It's not the town council's role to invest in the police. And actually, they invested in town wardens.

"Part of it is giving those people an alternative, something to go and do. We have to look at what is behind that behaviour."

'Exciting'

Chief executive of the council Dave Mears said the project was an "exciting opportunity" for Bridgwater.

He added that the reason it was an expensive project was the "sheer size of the site".

"We've got a massive theatre here," he said. "It's one of the largest theatres in the area.

"Although it is tidy and presentable when you go in, it is tired now, and I think that's the biggest challenge with this space and the lack of accessibility in there.

"It is a lot of money to borrow, but we are not needing to increase council tax to service this loan."