MEMBERS of the public were given a glimpse of the renovated Rawtenstall Town Hall.

The Rossendale Together Barnfield Partnership invited members of the public to take a free tour of the building before it is handed over to housing provider Together Housing.

After lying empty for more than ten years, the former town hall has been restored to create modern office space.

Together Housing will move its neighbourhood and property team into the building in the next few weeks.

The team of 24 staff will deliver front-line services across Rossendale while the first floor will be used as a meeting and training space for staff from across the organisation.

The town hall renovation is part of the Spinning Point redevelopment of Rawtenstall town centre by RTB Partnership, a joint venture partnership which includes Rossendale Council, Barnfield Investment Properties Ltd and Together Housing.

Council leader Cllr Alyson Barnes said: “When I toured it recently, it brought back a lot of warm memories and I’m sure those who go on the public tour will feel the same as well. People wanted us to retain it, we listened and now it is looking fabulous – and I am pleased that we managed to get important front-line services to operate from it.

“The refurbishment of the town hall is a tangible sign of progress on the Spinning Point project. Rawtenstall and the borough are on the up - there is a growing buzz around the town.”

Rawtenstall Town Hall was built in 1876 as an exchange club for stock traders.

The building was extended in the late 19th and early 20th century to join the former tramway offices and become the town hall.

Until 2013, it was a bustling civic building which played an important role in the lives of local people.

Steve Riley, contracts director at Barnfield Construction said: “The town hall restoration has been a challenging but extremely rewarding project for the whole team.

“We’re really looking forward to meeting some of the local businesses and residents on the tours to share our experiences and showcase some of the high quality work that’s in store for the rest of the Spinning Point development.”