Westmorland and Furness Council has this week launched an £180,000 tender to find a "multi-disciplinary team" to lead the councils transformation plans for Penrith Town Hall to turn the building into a new creative and community hub — just over two weeks after the council closed a public consultation on how residents would like to see the building used.
The tender, advertised this week, will see the successful bidder commissioned to deliver the ambitious project through six stages, culminating in a full refurbishment of the Grade II-listed landmark by 2028. Plans outline the councils vision to create a flexible spaces for museum exhibits, performances, exhibitions and maker activities, aiming to breathe new life into the historic civic building.
The council has so far secured £3 million in government funding for the scheme — a portion of the £7 million investment originally earmarked by the former Eden District Council for its now-scrapped “Inspiring Eden” enterprise hub at Stoneybeck roundabout.
Council officials say the Town Hall project will transform the site into a “vibrant” and “sustainable” destination that both preserves its heritage and opens it up for community use.
However, tender documents reveal that plans to repurpose the Town Hall as a creative and community hub were already well underway months before the public consultation began. The documents were last revised on 7th August 2025 over a month before the public consultation was launched asking for the public ideas for the town hall, suggesting the council’s direction for the building had been set before asking residents for their views on the buildings future.
The council maintains that public funding will remain key to delivering the transformation. Alongside the confirmed £3 million, officials admit additional financial support will be needed, with “further funding streams currently being explored.”
The move has sparked questions about whether the Town Hall’s future had already been decided before the public was invited to have a say.
One of those raising questions about the council plans for the town hall is John Parkinson, of the local charity Upfront Arts that operates Upfront Gallery, who attended a council meeting on the 15th of October at Voreda House to ask members of the Eden locality board about funding of the town hall and council plans for the new creative hub.
The Chair of the Eden Locality Board Cllr Lorna Baker (Libdem) councillor for the Eden and Lyvennet Vale ward said: “The financial model for Penrith Town Hall has not been created. This work will take place once visioning work has been concluded, and as part of the business case development. To confirm, the Council has not refused to agree regular funding for Penrith Town Hall, once it has been redeveloped.”
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