Freshford Village Memorial Hall has been granted £50,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding by Bath and North East Somerset Council to improve its energy efficiency and ensure the long-term viability of the building.

The grant is a contribution towards the costs of improving the insulation of the windows and walls of the existing hall, including work on the cladding and glazing of the existing main hall and meeting rooms to provide much higher levels of insulation, reduced heat loss, better waterproofing and an improved appearance.

This is the first phase of work to enhance, modernise and extend Freshford Village Memorial Hall, which provides facilities and services accessible to all local residents.

Councillor Richard Samuel, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for Resources and Economic Development, said: "This grant will help towards the cost of work to improve the long-term viability of the Freshford Village Memorial Hall, which is an important community hub for the villages of Freshford and Limpley Stoke."

The £50k will be financed from the Strategic CIL allocation from 2019/20. Additional funding has been raised from other sources to complete the build.

David Wright, chair of the trustees at Freshford Village Memorial Hall, said: "We're grateful to Bath and North East Somerset. This investment allows us to move forward with the first phase of the improvements. The insulation changes will reduce our carbon footprint by over 90% and consequently we can now replace the old oil-fired boiler with a highly efficient air conditioning system."

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a planning charge, designed to help the council deliver infrastructure to serve the residents and users of developments in our area. It is payable on new developments.

Between 70-80% of the funds collected go towards the Strategic CIL budget which is allocated to essential strategic infrastructure such as school expansion projects, highways, flood defences and waste facilities.