Update: October 2024
** Contractors appointed and on site from 28th October 2024 **
An ambitious project to deliver much needed improvements to the historic Town Hall. The Grade II listed building which occupies a prominent position on Tenterden High Street, will undergo extensive renovation to achieve a sustainable, community-based building, which is both welcoming and accessible to all, whilst addressing issues arising from the declining state of the building. The images below, show proposed uses for the ground floor event and exhibition space.
What is happening? Coleman and James have been appointed as building contractors and will be on site from the end of October 2024.
How much will it cost? In September, Town Council approved expenditure on the works at a cost of £2,216,835. Comprising preliminaries, schedule of works and overheads/profits of the main contractor, as well as provisional sums and contingencies. Provisional sums are those that relate to elements of the build that require further analysis and where an exact cost can't be given until works start. Contingencies have been built in to approved expenditure to allow for these.
Where will the money come from? The funds will principally be drawn from land sales from Tent1a land.
How will the project be achieved? The project will be delivered with the professional support of Logic PM (Project Managers), Holloway Studio (architects), Considine (structural engineers), Wilson and Partners (mechanical engineering) and local firm Potters Home Digital, alongside appointed building contractors Coleman and James.
How long will the works take? It is estimated that the works will take 12-14 months to complete. The Town Hall will remain closed during this period.
When are works expected to start? Work started in the autumn of 2024.
Where can more details be found? Details of the plans for the building are available here, or view the plans on ABC’s Planning Portal.
Why did the Town Hall close, before contractors were appointed? As a result of the declining state of the bulding, the Town Hall closed in January 2024, with staff and council meetings relocated to Sayers Lane and Highbury Hall respectively. With no working heating system, rising damp and humidity (evidenced by the peeling paintwork, mould and condensation), regular sewage smells pervading the offices, and with the buildng becoming increasingly expensive and challenging to maintain, the decision was made to close the building.
Why are these works necessary? The Town Hall in its current state desperately needs attention, the attractive High Street exterior hides a range of issues.
A short video showcases why improvements need to be made to the Town Hall and sets out how the building can best serve the community in the future, click here to view the video.
Background information and further details
The Town Hall is a community asset, owned and maintained by Tenterden Town Council (TTC), the building which is located on Tenterden High Street is Grade II listed, within the conservation area and an area of archaeological importance.
The rear of the building is formed through an asymmetric extension of little heritage value dating back to the 1930s. The Town Hall is used currently as office space and for meetings, community activities, events and shows and is a licensed marriage venue. The building fulfils an important role in the community due to its use as an advice centre for Tenterden Town Council, Ashford Borough Council (ABC) and the Citizens Advice Centre.
In its current form, the layout of the building - on the ground floor, is haphazard and confusing and makes poor use of the available space. The building is difficult to manage and maintain, suffers from unacceptable levels of humidity and excessive rising damp, has an archaic and inefficient heating system and with no insulation is far from being energy efficient. Further, due to the damp and cold - this results in a poor experience for users especially during the winter months. The building has no lift and as a result the first floor is currently inaccessible for wheelchair users, further there are no disabled toilets in the building or suitable facilities for users with infants.
The Town Hall Project was conceived to make the building community-based, accessible to all, and welcoming for the next 100 years, whilst addressing issues arising from the declining state of the building.
The project is designed to achieve and enable the following.
- Increased community use: The brief for the architects was to provide flexible exhibition, working and function spaces and to ensure that the potential uses for the building are many and varied, whilst bringing in additional income, increasing community use of the spaces, encouraging tourism and contributing to an already vibrant local economy.
- Improved accessibility: included in the redesign is a lift to the first floor and improved access toilet facilities.
- Sustainability: all reasonable measures to improve sustainability of the Town Hall by reducing the carbon emissions from the building are embedded in the plans.
- Repairs to the fabric of the building: the building in its current state requires major repairs, including renewal of the heating system, damp-proofing and rewiring.
If you have a question which is not answered above, please email us at:
townhallrefurb@tenterdentowncouncil.gov.uk