PLANS to build a new community centre in Rayleigh have been moved forward by more than six months, council bosses have confirmed.

The Mill Hall Arts and Leisure centre has been closed since the autumn, and it's replacement will now be built by the autumn of 2022, instead of the 2023 summer.

Rochford Council set the completion time of the summer of 2023, but with the demolition of the current centre also brought forward, the programme has been given a closer finishing date.

The new centre will be used by both Rochford Council and residents, spread across two floors.

The upstairs will feature office rooms, with the downstairs set to be made available for public hire.

The new centre will be smaller than the current Mill Hall, which closed due to the Covid pandemic and costs becoming "unsustainable."

READ MORE:

Simon Wootton, leader of Rochford Council, said: “I know the new community centre will be eagerly awaited by our residents, so I’m pleased to be able to bring forward the anticipated opening date to the autumn of 2022, some nine months earlier than originally expected. 

“The new centre will offer a much more modern and inviting environment than the current site.

“This has been one of the hardest years in living memory for most of our residents, with everyone having different challenges to face, so I’m pleased that we can bring something positive to look forward to."

George Farley, programme director at gbpartnerships, who are behind the new centre, added: “We are delighted to be able to accelerate the development programme enabling the new community centre to be brought forward and available to local people sooner than was previously planned."