COUNCIL offices in Skipton Town Hall are to be fitted with new ceilings following the granting of planning permission.

Skipton Town Council was forced to move out of its first floor offices into temporary accommodation last year after the collapse of some suspended ceilings in the town hall, a grade two listed building, which dates back to 1862.

Now, listed building consent has been granted by North Yorkshire Council, which also owns the building in High Street, for the work to be carried out to five rooms in the town hall, used by the town council, plus its first floor reception area.

Work will involve first the removal of the existing suspended ceilings and also defective lath and plaster ceilings. That will be followed by the installation of new plasterboard, and new suspended ceilings.

A planning officer's report states 'significant weight should be afforded to the benefits of the scheme' and concluded: "Benefits would accrue from securing the optimum viable use of this heritage asset through its long-term conservation and its associated links with the local economy."

Skipton Town Council moved out of the town hall in October last year and took up temporary accommodation in the Craven office of North Yorkshire Council in Belle Vue Square, Broughton Road.