WITNEY Town Council has completed a £45,000 revamp of a community hall to help house groups made homeless by the sudden closure of the Corn Exchange.

Langdale Hall, in Langdale Gate, now has two new meeting rooms, a restored dance floor and improved disabled, kitchen and toilet facilities.

The hall has been decorated throughout, with new floors, furniture, lighting and blackout curtains and blinds.

The council has also brought in a new manager to run the hall’s bar, which has been given a facelift and now sells real ale and guest beers.

Langdale Hall’s disabled facilities have also been improved with the installation of ramps at the front and main side entrance as well as building a downstairs meeting room.

The hall’s electrical supply for the stage area was also upgraded and a new stage has been hired.

But council chiefs are adamant the work has not been done in order to sell the hall and finance refurbishment work at the Corn Exchange, which closed in November.

The Langdale Hall revamp started on January 3 and the hall will reopen today at 7.45pm.

Deputy clerk Claire Swan, who manages the town’s halls, said: “This has been done to make sure we have the most viable and versatile hall we could to cover people made homeless by the Corn Exchange.”

The Corn Exchange, in Market Square, was closed after a report showed the hall’s heating and ventilation system was in danger of “imminent failure” and did not meet fire regulations.

Councillors had previously said they were considering selling Langdale Hall to finance the refurbishment of the Corn Exchange, which could cost up to £1.5m.

But Ms Swan said there were no plans to sell Langdale for the next two or three years.

Work to restore the outside of the building will start in early February.