Moves to renovate historic town hall with £220,000 investment

Members of Craven District Council’s Policy Committee will be asked to approve major investment proposals to improve community facilities within Skipton Town Hall.

Proposals for the Grade II listed building, which was built in 1862, include a new lift to the first floor, improved disabled access, the restoration of the town hall frontage and new toilets.

Committee members will be advised to approve a business plan and a contribution of £220,000 for the first phase refurbishment project.

Councillor Simon Myers of Craven Council said “Skipton Town Hall is an iconic building on Skipton’s award-winning High Street and should be at the heart of our community.

“By investing £220,000 now to deliver much needed improvements it is a demonstration of this council’s commitment to act now to secure the town hall for future generations to enjoy.

“The grand façade of the town hall is in need of repair, lift access to the first floor needs to be installed as well as improving the disabled access so the lift on the front steps can be removed and frontage improved.”

Earlier this year councillors decided not to transfer the management of the town hall and Craven Museum and Gallery and Skipton Tourist Information Service – which are based in the historic building – to a trust.

Councillors will also be asked tomorrow to back an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the development of a Skipton Town Hall Hub, which would form part of the second phase of development.

The council’s business plan for the town hall envisages an improved museum, hall and community facility, at the heart of the redeveloped town hall, “that will create a valuable asset benefitting the visitor and evening economies for Skipton and the southern Dales”.

The hub would bring together the museum, tourist information centre and partners across the district to provide a centre for information, education and entertainment regarding the history of the area.

Topics covered in the hub would include Geology of the Dales, Early Humans, Roman Craven, Medieval Craven, Industrial Victorian Craven and the Great Craven Collectors. Each area would be represented in the hub with a link to a relevant place of interest across Craven. For example, Geology of the Dales would be linked to Malham Cove and Medieval Craven to Skipton Castle.

The council’s business plan says: “The creation of the hub will take the visitor on a journey that will allow them to learn about the heritage of the area and then 
experience the wider countryside.”

The hub will provide a link between the collections and the places whose stories they tell.

Creating information boards, mini museums in pubs and shops and mobile apps will help to link key sites.

The hub will also make links where people can stay and eat as well as walking and cycling routes that take in key landmarks.

Craven Council is also trying to secure external funding for a freelance creative director to oversee a programme for all spaces of the town hall including at least 12 new performances in the space of a year.

The plan also sets out a blueprint for appropriate commercial use of the main hall as a way of generating income which can be offset against the building running costs.

A report to the committee says: “Failure to commit to a long term plan for the refurbishment and redevelopment puts the council at risk in allowing the building to decline further and missed opportunities for increased income.”

The second phase could include a review of catering and cafés and new changing facilities for the main hall.