New-look town hall will be the belle of the ‘Bole

A MAJOR project to sympathetically upgrade a historic town hall and return it to its former glory has been secured by Procast.

The refurbishment works on Category-B listed Maybole Town Hall in Ayrshire will get under way in May, 2022, and will run for 40 weeks.

Coming in with a budget of £1,050,000, the programme will see Procast’s construction division deliver a comprehensive range of upgrades for clients South Ayrshire Council.

They will include a large volume of repairs to, and replacement of, external stone, render and slates, requiring the use of a mixture of carefully designed structural scaffold and mobile elevated work equipment.

Apart from having to respect the requirements associated with working on such a historic building, the project will present two other major challenges – its location on the busy A71 and the fact it will continue to function, at least in part, as a performance and events venue.

The works on the town hall will also involve:

• The upgrade/alteration of all existing building access points
• Remodelling of several internal areas
• Refurbishment of all bathrooms (including formation of Changing Places facilities), kitchen facilities, meeting rooms
• Full new electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation system
• Floor coverings
• New joinery finishes including new internal doors
• The supply and installation of manufactured joinery elements such as bar and reception desks
• New kitchen facilities
• Removal of asbestos containing material
• Full decoration

Maybole Town Hall is a three-storey blonde sandstone building constructed in the 17th Century with substantial additions in the late 19th Century, and it  features a three-stage tower which has remained largely unaltered.

A Procast spokesman said: “The nature and position of this building presents a major challenge to overcome during major construction works due to the proximity to the A71 trunk road, limited access/lay down provisions and congested high street location.

“Also, elements of the building will remain in use throughout the works so all works will have to be carefully planned, monitored, controlled and communicated with the client – and safe systems of work and good housekeeping will be a priority.

“With the implementation of strict control procedures and work practices local businesses and homes will remain unaffected.

“We are thoroughly delighted to been awarded this exciting project by South Ayrshire Council and we look forward to working alongside the client’s construction consultant TCS.

“This is a very challenging project but will undoubtedly be a very rewarding one, and we look forward to bringing a new lease of life to this building by returning it to its former glory.”