A COMMUNITY centre is to be demolished and rebuilt as part of a major £740,000 development.

Work is expected to start to replace Citizens House in Consett in autumn and should be complete by spring.

The centre currently hosts several community groups, such as amateur dramatics, photography and choral music as well as sessions helping those with poor mental health, addictions and learning disabilities.

George Gibbon, chairman of the Citizens House charity, said: “The premises at the minute are structurally sound but in a fairly poor state of repair and decoration.

“The windows are in an awful state. The windows sills are crumbling and the heating system is obsolete. Something needed to be done

“The development is fundamental to how we are going to proceed.

“It allows us to offer our services to more people and more groups.

“It allows our existing groups to expand and they are very worthy.”

The scheme has been made possible after the charity secured a grant of £630,000 in lottery cash.

Durham County Council is providing £80,000 in funding, and the charity has already spent £10,000 on the project.

Mr Gibbon said: “We have been working on this project for five years to bring it to this point. It has been five years of quite intense effort going through grant applications.”

Arrangements are currently being made for groups which currently use the centre.

Mr Gibbon said: “We are putting packages together to help them find temporary alternative accommodation.

“We want to make sure they are well looked after so in due course they can return to Citizens House, which will be bigger and better.”

A spokesman for the Big Lottery Fund, which awarded the major grant for the scheme, said: “The facilities will better serve the community, including those dealing with mental ill-health, addictions and learning disabilities.

“When complete, the centre will include a dedicated café and drop-in facility, divisible main hall and meeting rooms.

“People from all elements of the community will benefit, including families and young children, but particularly older people and those with health inequalities.

“The centre currently gets 400 visits per week, which they hope to double.”

Planning permission for the development was granted last year.

North-West MP Pat Glass said: “This will be of enormous benefit to the community who use the building.”