Midsomer Norton Town Hall Transformation

Midsomer Norton Town Hall Transformation

M idsomer Norton’s Town Hall has served the community since 1859 and over the last 150 years, has really become the heart of the town. Since first being built, the town hall has had multiple owners and dozens of tenants, all of whom have left their mark on the building. With several additions and internal positions, the building has become very difficult to use for the many organisations that are based there.

Thanks to the dynamic team of Trustees at the Midsomer Norton Community Trust, the Town Hall has an impressive list of groups who use it, with around 30,000 visits per year. A further 7,000 visits attend Art and Culture events, such as the cinema and musical performances. However, the building’s layout does present challenges to those visitors.

According to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, who are former tenants of the Town Hall, this is the reason they moved, finding that the interior layout presented accessibility challenges.

With this in mind, a proposal has been put together to transform the town hall to preserve it for future generations. The plans include reinstating the original ground floor market hall, a rear extension for meeting rooms, storage space and service rooms, as well as the replacement of internal services, with updates to the wiring and heating to make the building more energy efficient. Without these changes, income and sustainability are limited. One priority is fixing a leak to prevent further damage.

The proposals have been put together to make sure that the new building retains its heritage, serves the community and is a more welcome place for people to use. Funding has been received from the High Street Heritage Action Zone,

Midsomer Norton Town Council and B&NES Council. Additional funding may come from a loan from the Public Works Loan Board. The Council will be required to seek the approval of the Secretary of State for this loan, which is to be paid back over 50 years and the budget has been adapted to fulfil any loan repayments that may be required. If funding applications are unsuccessful, it is proposed that a loan will cover any shortfall.

Representatives from Midsomer Norton Town Council, said: “We strongly believe that in transforming this Grade II listed building it will become a catalyst for regenerating the market town’s heritage economy.”

The Town Council are interested in your views on the Town Hall’s transformation, please send comments to the Town Clerk, either by email, administrator@midsomernortontowncouncil.co.uk or by post: Town Clerk, Town Hall, The Island, Midsomer Norton BA3 2HQ.