The Mayor of Carlisle, Cllr Jacquelyne Geddes, has officially opened Belah's new £330,000 community building.

The work on the new Belah Centre was carried out by the City Council on behalf of the Belah Community Association, who were given a £250,000 grant from the City Council and a £80,000 grant from Carlisle Housing Association.

Work started on the new facility in June last year and was completed in late November, on programme and within budget.

Carlisle City Council's Community Services Directorate project managed the work. The main contractor was Mossom & Sidney from Maryport and Gray Associates of Dalston provided architectural support.

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The major refurbishment works have transformed the external aesthetics of the building, with the internal improvements offering greater flexibility for the users of the site.

In line with Carlisle City Council's Environmental policy, the building design includes sun pipe technology, energy efficient lighting, external insulation render and composite cladding roof design.

The design complies with the latest access legislation.

Cllr Olwyn Luckley, Portfolio holder for Health & Communities, said: "The improvement works were essential and we were happy to support the scheme with a £250,000 grant. The old building was not fit for purpose and posed serious health and safety issues. This was resulting in a decline in the number of residents using the facility. Investment was needed to ensure its future use."

(CD/JM)