THE Laverton Project has received a huge boost with a grant of £90,000 from Plain Action, a rural development agency which operates across Salisbury Plain.
The grant, which was unanimously approved last Thursday, will help develop the historic Laverton building as a multi-use venue for the benefit of the local community. The money will allow the next phase of the project to go ahead, refurbishing the main upstairs hall and downstairs rooms.
Stephen Andrews, chair of the Laverton Institute Committee said, “I’m absolutely delighted, not only is this a great boost for the Laverton, but for the town. I think people are so used to having the town knocked back with cuts and closure and threatened cuts and closures, but this shows a future for Westbury.”
The emphasis of the next phase will be on refurbishing the main hall. Stephen said, “Most of the expense will go on an audio visual centre so we have a projection screen, good sound systems, and an audio loop. We’ll also install a ventilation system as we know in the summer it gets very hot, especially with a couple of hundred people in there.
“We’re also refurbishing the rooms downstairs which used to be the town council offices. There’s a meeting room and small offices, and in the meeting room there’ll be another audio visual system.”
With the grant approved, the Laverton Institute Trust can now start looking at getting permission and building plans drawn up, before putting the project out to tender.
The Laverton Project is working to create a multi-purpose venue which can benefit the whole community. The historic building is already used by a number of community groups, and the building can cater for functions, exhibitions, displays, meetings, cultural activities, educational projects and entertainment. More about The Laverton Project can be found at www. westburytowncouncil.co.uk
Stephen said, “I think people have been a bit jaundiced about the Laverton because nothing did happen for many years, but we can now look foward to a better future for it now.”
