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The £9million redevelopment of Dover Town Hall has been given the go ahead and will see an "exciting" re-instatement of a revered paint scheme - and a holiday let.
Known as the Maison Dieu, the scheme includes essential conservation work to the Grade I-listed medieval and neo-gothic building in Biggin Street.
Restoration of William Burges’ interior decorative schemes will revive the Connaught Hall and Mayor’s Parlour, creating a new visitor entrance to the Connaught Hall.
Access will also be improved.
And, in an enterprising venture to contribute to the building's financial sustainability, redundant spaces will be brought back into commercial use including a holiday let and café.
The project will see the Maison Dieu open to the public daily for the first time in its history as a heritage attraction.
Facilities will be improved too for community and event use.
A decision on a £4.8m bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund is expected in the autumn which, if successful, would see the project get underway in 2021.
Dover District Council, Dover Town Council and the Dover Society have pledged £4.2m in match-funding.
Alice Brockway, inspector of historic buildings and areas for Historic England, said: “The Town Hall is a large and complex building but people’s ability to use its important main spaces, the Stone Hall and Connaught Hall is limited by shared facilities and poor step free access.
"At Historic England we fully support the council’s aspirations to improve access arrangements so a wide range of people can better use the building’s main spaces. We are also very supportive of plans to bring unused areas of the building back into use.
“Perhaps the most exciting part of the proposal, which will greatly enhance the building’s significance, is the reinstatement of the Burges decorative paint schemes in the Connaught Hall and Mayor’s Parlour.
"This element is informed by a thorough understanding of the historic paint scheme and will be transformational, revealing once again the intended architectural effect of the Burges design for Connaught Hall.”
Cllr Trevor Bartlett, leader of Dover District Council, said: “The Maison Dieu has been part of the fabric of Dover for over 800 years.
"These exciting plans secure a sustainable future for the Maison Dieu, playing a key role in the economic vitality of the town centre as its most significant heritage asset.
“We’re grateful to our partners at Dover Town Council and the Dover Society, and for the strong support the project has received from Historic England.”
A district council spokesman confirmed that if the second round bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund is successful, the current plan is for the building to close in September 2021 for around two years for the restoration.
