Kidderminster Town Hall transformation given planning go-ahead

When completed the hall will be able to host the world's best music stars, with improved acoustics and seating.

The oldest part of the civic complex, the Corn Exchange, will be altered to become a versatile space suitable for dance, theatre and smaller musical events as well as meetings and receptions.

The centre piece of the refurbishment will be the courtyard being covered to create a new events space, cafe, bar and roof garden.

But for many, the most exciting new public room will occupy the existing courtyard. This will be a covered meeting space designed to welcome

Councillor David Ross, leader of Kidderminster Town Council, said: "We are delighted that WFDC Planning Authority shares our enthusiasm for this transformational scheme to support the regeneration of the town centre and we now look forward to work starting on site early in 2023."

Kidderminster Town Council chief executive Lee Jakeman said: "With the approval of the planning application we are now in a position to set in motion the works that will modernise the Town Hall. The Town Hall will close as both an administrative home to the town council and an entertainments venue shortly before Christmas 2022 for a period of around 18 months to allow contractors to turn the plans into a reality."

The Corn Exchange was designed by Bidlake and Lovall in the neoclassical style and officially opened on January 4, 1855.

The current town hall was built between 1876 and 1877. Both buildings were completed with red bricks and stone dressings and are regarded as one of the county's finest examples of Victorian architecture.

In the early 20th Century the town hall was a hotbed of political activity, with a young Winston Churchill visiting in 1904 and the suffragette Emily Pankhurst speaking to a packed crowd in 1912.