WORK to improve a communal hall is to take place in the autumn.

Broomside Lane Communal Hall in Belmont is being refurbished following a consultation exercise with residents.

The move is part of a scheme by Durham City Homes to improve the dozen communal halls which it manages and transform them into community hubs.

Two other communal halls will be included in a pilot project due to start in the autumn, with the location to be confirmed later in the year.

Although plans for individual halls vary, residents could see changes including refurbishment, wifi connection and computer ports, an electrical rewire and structural work.

Work on the Broomside Lane hall will be completed this year, with an estimate for the remaining venues in the pilot to be completed by April 2016.

Technical Manager, Tony Jones who is leading on the project from Durham City Homes, said. “We know that our halls are valued in our communities and this project is going to make sure they are fit for purpose with the right facilities.

“Consultations like the one at Belmont are fundamental for getting our plans right.

“As well as making the hubs better for those that already use them; we hope that the work we are going to do will attract new people to use the buildings, growing the communities they are in and making them more vibrant.”