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Forres Area Community Trust granted planning permission to transform Forres Town Hall


By Garry McCartney

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The renovated interior of Forres Town Hall will offer a community space fit for the 21st Century.
The renovated interior of Forres Town Hall will offer a community space fit for the 21st Century.

MORAY Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent for the Forres Town Hall regeneration project.

Custodians Forres Area Community Trust (FACT) plan to restore and make extensive changes to the building, including sub-dividing it into three spaces, introducing retractable seats and a new mezzanine floor, providing lifts at the front and back as well as improved kitchen and bathroom facilities.

FACT chairman Fabio Villani confirmed planning consent is a big step towards implementing the vision, which will see the town hall's functionality transformed and a refurbished community building fit for the 21st Century.

He said: "This is tremendous news as FACT moves forward with a major fundraising strategy to raise the £3.2 million estimated overall cost of the regeneration."

FACT is also in the final stages of a Community Asset Transfer of the 193-year-old building, expected to be complete before the end of the year.

Plans for Forres Town Hall are available on the Moray Council website.
Plans for Forres Town Hall are available on the Moray Council website.

Following extensive community consultation, the project aims include: transforming the large hall into a modern, multi-purpose, accessible performance space; ensuring universal accessibility to the upper floor at the front and rear; creating additional flexible floor space for use by the community and social enterprises; restoring the lesser hall as an event space that celebrates the heritage of the building; and making the entrance foyer more welcoming and practical.

The design sub-divides the town hall into: a front section with foyer, toilets and a restored lesser hall; a central section with a large multi-purpose performance space; and a rear section with three levels of flexible workspace, and meeting rooms. This would be achieved by removing the art deco alterations from the main hall, revealing the original roof structure, and installing retractable seating to allow for more flexible uses.

New multi-purpose rooms and support space would be introduced over three floors where the stage is now, including a new room below the roof structure overlooking the main hall. A new second floor mezzanine would be built in the first-floor room on the front elevation.

Dedicated plant space at the rear of the main hall will allow installation of efficient energy systems. The lesser hall will be restored and redecorated. Accessibility to the building will be improved by adjusting external levels and improving surfacing in the adjoining alleyway.

Forres Town Hall has played a significant role since it was built in 1827-29. Throughout this time the hall has been important to the community, and the community has had a major influence on the various uses which it has been able to serve over the years.

Uses have ranged from the provision of a library for the working class in the 1840’s as part of the wider International Mechanics’ Institute movement, being requisitioned as a field hospital during the First World War, through to being able to serve as a community hub during the Covid-19 pandemic.

FAVT development manager Debbie Herron believes the project will lead to reduced running costs, more efficient use of space, and long-term sustainability for the entire community.

She said: "We are very excited. Forres Town Hall will be owned by FACT on behalf of the community. These successful planning permission and listed building consent applications will enable us to move forward with our plans to regenerate this iconic building at the heart of our community."

FACT and Forres Town Hall have been closed to the public during the pandemic lockdown period. The next review date is the November 30.



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