Council chiefs will be considering the future of Penrith Town Hall later this year.
Westmorland & Furness Council has secured £3 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and £500,000 via the Borderlands Place Programme to transform the Grade II-listed building.
It has published the results of a community consultation it held from last September to find out what people wanted to see at the building.
Its survey was filled out by 456 people and the authority said 80 individual conversations generated 116 suggestions for Penrith Town Hall.
When asked about specific spaces and facilities, there was strong support for flexible, multi-use provision, the council said.
The greatest number of suggestions related to community use, followed by arts and creativity, enterprise, and heritage and culture.
A total of 65% per cent of respondents said they would like to see a performance studio or exhibition space, while 63% supported the creation of a community venue for meetings, learning opportunities and social events. In addition, 57% highlighted the importance of free Wi-Fi and spaces suitable for events and ceremonies.
Workshops, led by The Knotted Project Theatre Company, saw 112 young people take part through creative sessions with local schools and youth services, ensuring their voices shaped ideas for the building’s future.
Views from older residents were heard through arts workshops at Cold Springs Care Home, the Talking Tables Group, and Penrith Library’s Knit and Natter group.
Council officers also attended sessions at Penrith Library to reach under-represented groups, including people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and members of the Penrith Refugee Network.
The authority also held workshops with the creative and community sector, including the Borderlands Penrith Town Team, Eden Locality Board and Penrith Town Council members, and partner organisations.
It said feedback highlighted a strong desire for Penrith Town Hall to become an asset that fully embedded within the town’s community and creative fabric.
It was consistently emphasised that any future use of the building should complement, rather than compete with, work already delivered by local creative organisations and community groups.
Respondents said it was important that Penrith Town Hall was financially sustainable and, where possible, self-sufficient.
Westmorland & Furness Council said the insights gathered, alongside ‘wider service considerations and opportunities to integrate services within the council’ will now be used to evaluate a range of high-level, community-led options for a Strategic Outline Business Case.
The options will be presented to Westmorland and Furness Council Cabinet in April, where a decision will be made.
Members will review the options within the broader strategic context before deciding how Penrith Town Hall can be redeveloped to make the best use of the secured funding.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for Assets, Councillor Andrew Jarvis, said: “With a project of this scale, it has been essential to review our programme and timelines to make sure what we deliver is both what our communities want to see and what is achievable.
“Financial sustainability will be central to the Strategic Outline Business Case, helping to ensure the building is viable over the long term while continuing to deliver lasting benefits for the local community, particularly in the challenging financial environment we are facing.
“The approach we are now adopting means we are maintaining momentum on the project while continuing to develop the future vision for the building. This approach will also support delivery within the Levelling Up Fund timescales, with the Council remaining on track to meet the March 2028 deadline.”
