Councillors, officials and the construction team celebrate the start of building work. The Mayor, Cllr Phil Scott, is at the controls of the machine.

Construction work has started on a brand new £1.3 million Community Hall in Carterton, Oxfordshire. The multi-purpose building will have a large hall that will seat 200 people, which will be ideal for entertainment and wedding receptions.

There'll also be a smaller hall and two separate meeting rooms, plus three offices, which will be available for community use. In addition there will be a kitchen, a cafe, storage space and toilet facilities. There'll be full facilities for people with disabilities.

To mark the start of construction the Mayor of Carterton, Cllr Phil Scott, took part in a traditional ground-breaking ceremony on Wednesday, November 7th. "This is a very exciting development for this expanding town," said Cllr Scott, "And we are delighted that these wonderful new facilities will provide a tremendous boost to the whole of the Carterton community."

The main contractors are Stepnell, a long-established family firm whose head office is in Rugby. Stepnell Director David Brill said, "We were very pleased to win the contract to design and build this splendid new building. We anticipate that it will be completed during the summer of next year, following a 37-week contract."

The detailed design is being undertaken by GSS Architecture, with architect Will Assheton the partner-in-charge. Glenn Mathew and Luke Hall complete the design team.