Town Hall to close for nine months

ROTHERHAM Town Hall will be off limits to the public from next week as it undergoes months of renovation.

The building will shut for nine months next Friday, December 18, to bring it up-to-date and make it more accessible to the public.

During the closure period, all council committee and board meetings will be held at Bailey House.

Full council meetings and meetings of the Planning and Licensing Boards will be held in the Bailey Suite on the ground floor.

Other meetings will be held in rooms on the third floor of Bailey House.

The current Town Hall on Moorgate Street, originally the former Magistrates’ Court, has not been refurbished since it took on the role in 1994.

The planned work will create a number of meeting rooms and conference facilities together with the refurbishment of the Mayoral Suite.

The current Council Chamber will be redesigned to provide a public viewing gallery and will include state of the art audio visual equipment.

It will also allow the building to be fitted with more up-to-date communication links that will allow members to communicate with their electorate electronically.

Once completed, the Town Hall will once again host the majority of council meetings and will be the base for the Mayor's office and reception rooms.

The temporary move out of the building is all part of the wider regeneration of Rotherham that is resulting in the improvement of key council buildings.