Devizes road to close for three months for town hall repairs

Devizes Town Hall is set to undergo major work to tackle the ongoing deterioration of the leaking roof, which has caused water damage to the inside of the building.

In total, this project is expected to take around 20 weeks to complete and will likely cost the town council close to £450,000.

During the repairs, St John’s Street will close from October 21 to January 21 to allow crews to carry out their work.

READ MORE: Wiltshire 'hidden gem' to undergo £450,000 renovation

Repairs to Devizes Town Hall (Image: Devizes Town Council)

This closure will be in place to the side of the town hall near the Lamb Inn, between the road’s two junctions with the A360.

This will allow the erection of scaffolding to facilitate the replacement of the roof and other associated works.

Access will be maintained for residents and businesses at all times while the road closure is in place.

Town clerk Simon Fisher has previously spoken about the importance of the repairs.

When announcing the project in July, he said: “Whilst the town council is fortunate to own and manage many fine buildings in Devizes, we recognise that we are only the custodians for future generations.

“It’s important that we do everything we can to protect the long-term viability of these buildings and therefore maintenance is an essential part of that responsibility.

“Those who have visited the town hall over the last few years may have noticed the level of water ingress during bad weather that has been a problem for us and whilst we have undertaken remedial work to try and stop the water coming in, it has been a losing battle. 

“Therefore, the only way to deal with the problem properly is to carry out more substantial work which over the last few years we have started to budget to pay for.”

Devizes Town Hall (Image: Trevor Porter)

Mr Fisher described the town hall as one of the “hidden gems” that can be found in Devizes.

The building has a complex roof due to the many changes that have impacted different sections over time.

Following a survey by Dolmans, it was discovered that the repairs needed were greater than anticipated.

The town council announced it would pay for the works by borrowing the funds and spreading the cost over the next 10 years.

The annual loan repayment will be equal to £7.40 per band D property but the council has already built a reserve to almost halve the impact on the precept and is exploring further budget cuts.