Contract for hall redevelopment awarded (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Contract for hall redevelopment awarded

4:35pm Friday 27th July 2012 in News

THE company that will carry out the £3m restoration and refurbishment of a landmark Teesdale building has been confirmed.

Graham Construction will start work on the Witham Hall, in Barnard Castle , at the end of this month..

The project will see the original Grade II listed buildings restored and a new link building constructed between the testimonial building and the performance hall.

Work will also include refurbishment of the library to incorporate a new Durham County Council customer access point.

Michael Graham, executive chairman at Graham, which has worked on many heritage buildings, said: "Graham Construction is delighted to have been awarded this prestigious contract and look forward to playing our part in helping deliver the vision of restoring this historic building and helping create a vibrant facility for the local community."

Durham County Council, Barnard Castle Vision and The Witham Trustees are leading the project which is being funded with £2m from the council, £773,879 from the European regional development fund and £336,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Debra Jenkins, chair of Barnard Castle Vision, said: "This is an important step and a very exciting stage in The Witham project, as it means work can now begin on site and the vision for the buildings can start to take shape."