Residents asked to finance arts centre revamp

PEOPLE in an East Riding town are to be asked whether they want to pay an extra £15 on top of their rates towards the overhaul of a community arts centre.

Beverley Town Council is one of the main funders of the long-awaited scheme to revamp the Memorial Hall. For the hall's trustees the move has come as an unexpected last-minute hurdle.

The town council had already committed to raising 500,000 through a public works loan, and a revised plan costing 1.4m finally gained planning permission last month.

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The hall – originally a memorial to the men and women of Beverley who died in the Second World War – is due to close at the end of next month to allow work to start.

But at a meeting on Tuesday, town councillors decided to ask residents if they agree to the extra 50 per cent on their precept – which could amount to around 15, depending on how many years the loan is taken out for.

Chairman of the trustees Andrew Eastwood described the decision as "frustrating". He said: "It's a further delay right at the very end which has come as a surprise.

"If the town council money isn't forthcoming then the whole plan would have to go back to the drawing board."

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However, Mayor David Elvidge said they'd taken advice from the East Riding and North Lincolnshire Local Councils Association. He said: "We desperately need a community and arts centre but we need to be professional about this.

"I think this is possibly the fourth set of plans. We are working on a project that has changed significantly over the years.

"ERNLLCA said things have changed and because of the economic climate a lot of government departments have tightened up on borrowing and they will rigorously check projects and their viability. The town council must be satisfied that the project is sustainable and risk-free.

"In the grand scale of things 500,000 isn't a lot, but to the people of Beverley it's a substantial amount and my personal opinion is that we need to do everything we can to inform the people of Beverley what we are doing and why we are doing it."

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A meeting early next month will decide what form the consultation will take.

Plans to revamp the hall have been a decade in the making and have faced numerous hitches. The latest scheme includes a new entrance and foyer with a cafe bar, refurbished hall space and three meeting rooms, with the building turned round internally to face Champney Road and the Treasure House.