SCAFFOLDING has been removed from outside Earlestown Town Hall as external work is completed.

The grade II listed building has been hidden by scaffolding since work began on its exterior as part of the regeneration of the town centre.

The regeneration of Earlestown will see the historic town hall, which has been closed since 2008, restored and reopened to the public as a ‘community hub’.

A range of new commercial and community spaces and facilities will be provided, including flexible workspaces and meeting rooms, a refurbished main hall and stage, and potentially a new café with a community courtyard garden.

Plans to restore the town hall follow the £20m grant from the government’s Levelling Up Fund towards the town centre’s regeneration project awarded earlier this year.

Improvements to Earlestown Railway Station and the town centre’s centuries-old market square, which will include the creation of a permanent market canopy over part of the square that has been inspired by the iconic nine arches of the Sankey Viaduct, are also among the regeneration plans.

Detailed designs will be submitted for planning permission before the end of 2023, with work expected to start on the ground in summer 2024.