Westmorland and Furness Council is looking to carry out improvement works within Kendal Town Hall as part of its commitment to creating a better experience for customers.
The council wants to upgrade reception and interview facilities to meet the needs of those using its services. Improvements are also planned at its southern anchor building in Barrow and services in Penrith are now delivered from the newly opened Voreda House.
Kendal Town Hall attracts a high level of customers with enquiries on issues such as housing, registration of births, marriages and deaths, revenue and benefits, planning, building control, licensing, as well as general visitors to events.
After analysing customer usage, planned updates include:
- Increasing accessibility for families with pushchairs and wheelchair users.
- Improved acoustics in the reception area.
- Creating a waiting space away from the main reception.
- Greater privacy for those using interview rooms.
- More desk workspace to support customer facing activities.
The council is now seeking permission to make the changes at the Grade ll listed building in Highgate and has lodged a listed building application.
Council services that were previously housed at County Hall have now largely transferred to South Lakeland House. In the adjoining Kendal Town Hall, the Romney Room has become the new Registration Service interview room.
Cllr Peter Thornton, Cabinet Member for Highways, Assets and ICT, said: “The proposed alterations form part of the council’s wider strategy to improve access to public facing services.
“These improvements, alongside the relocation of staff from County Hall, will allow us to focus our efforts on serving customers from modern, efficient facilities and will do much to ensure officers and our services are as widely accessible as possible.
“We will continue to offer spaces for local community use as well as operate and develop our face-to-face customer offer.”
The council is in discussion with community groups that may be affected by the changes at Kendal Town Hall.
As part of its customer focus, the council is also seeking to improve facilities at Barrow Town Hall, with internal changes to the ground floor of the Grade II listed building to increase accessibility and make it a more welcoming space for visitors. That work would restore the impressive public entrance and create a second reception area for housing inquiries, new interview rooms and toilet facilities.
In Penrith, services are now being delivered from Voreda House, which opened in the summer, and has replaced outdated offices and reception areas at the town hall and Mansion House.
Interested parties can view the application for Kendal Town Hall at Planning application: 2024/1431/LBC | Westmorland & Furness Council (westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk)
If permission is granted, further detailed design work would be carried out later in the year with physical work in 2025.
