WORK has started on the £2.84million restoration of Saltcoats Town Hall.

Contractors Taylor and Fraser are expected to be on site for 16 months at the iconic Grade B listed building in Countess Street.

The work will bring the property back into full community use and will be the new location for the Council’s local Social Services staff.

It will also feature a marriage suite, function suite, heritage display area and visitor information point as well as a large function hall and a smaller suite for group or family gatherings.

As part of the contract, Paisley-based Taylor & Fraser has agreed to provide employment support for local young people by taking on a trainee tiler, two trainee labourers and a trainee stoneworker.

The company will also develop links with local schools, offering work placements to pupils and training in construction skills.

The project has attracted £162,000 from Historic Scotland’s Building Repair Grant Scheme in addition to £1.1million of funding from Irvine Bay Regeneration Company.

Councillor Ruth Maguire, Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Support and Housing, said: “Restoring the property and locating key Council services there will bring this part of the town back to life.” Saltcoats Town Hall was built in 1825 by Ayrshire architect Peter King. The building, which once operated as a cinema, has been in disrepair for a number of years and out of use since 2009.