PLANS to for a new town hall in Billericay have been given the green light after a huge £1.6 million contract was agreed yesterday.

The town council voted to go ahead with the contract, with A.W.Hardy to construct the new community facility which will replace the the Chantry Way centre.

Designed by Billericay-based architects Ingleton Wood, the building will feature a large, flexible use hall and meetings rooms. This will allow the town council to move from their current offices, with work planned to be completed by July 2020.

Adam Adshead, chairman of the council’s finance and general purposes committee who are overseeing the project, and Jim Devlin, chairman of Billericay town council, co-signed the £1.6 million contract.

Mr Adshead, councillor for East ward, said: “I’m very excited about the use our community and community groups will be able to get from the new facility.

"From regular group meetings to drama performances, from films and presentations to groups who focus on the socially isolated, the potential is huge.

"I would like to thank those councillors and officers and staff from Ingleton Wood who have been involved in the project and who have put in so much hard work”.

Mr Devlin, councillor for West ward, said: “The new Billericay town hall will be a great addition to the fabric of our town providing a centrally located community hub with modern facilities, and at the same time we are finally realising a long held objective for the town council to move into its own premises"