BUILDING work has begun on the the new £1.6 million community centre at the heart of Billericay.

The major project will see the Chantry Centre, Chantry Way replaced with a state-of-the-art facility.

The building will feature a large, flexible use hall and meeting hall - allowing the town council to move from their current offices.

If construction stays on track, the new centre will be completed by July 2020.

Councillors from Billericay Town Council, which has commissioned the work and will be based at the site, and representatives from Ingleton Wood and A.W. Hardy came together to break ground on the project.

Town councillor Adam Adshead said: “With the foundations going in we’ve reached a very significant stage.

“In a very short time, we’ll be able to see the shape of our new community building as it rises out of the ground.

“While we’ve got the majority of the construction yet to start, it’s encouraging that we are already seeing a number of community groups contacting us about using the new, modern facilities that we’ll be able to provide.”

Town council offices and a council chamber will be housed in the building and three other offices will be contained on the first floor for hire by the community.

Downstairs, in the foyer area, there will be a multi-use space and a reception for the town council.

Plans were officially approved at the end of July, allowing work to commence.

Paul Cavalier, partner at Ingleton Wood, said: “We are excited to see the work begin.

“So many people will benefit from this modern building, which will be bathed in light, and will be part of the community for decades to come.

“As a Billericay based business, it will be incredibly gratifying to see this build take shape over the coming months until its due completion date in the summer of 2020.”

Mark Hayman, managing director at A.W. Hardy, said: “Whilst the company has constructed many public buildings during the past 60 years, this is the first for Billericay Town Council.

“As soon as we heard about the project we were keen to be involved and are excited by the proposal – one of the best we have seen.”

Billericay Town Council released its plans to rebuild the Chantry Way Centre near to High Cloister, behind High Street after it stated the centre had “reached the end of its life”, in August last year.

When the plans were announced, it was stated that the council had previously hiked up their council tax precept by 13.6 per cent in a bid to begin raising cash for the project.

At the time of the increase in April 2018, Jim Devlin, chairman of Billericay Town Council said that it would mean an annual rise of £2.70 to each household with the benefit to the town worth much more.