WATTON'S historic Wayland Hall has been given the green light for an extensive facelift.

WATTON'S historic Wayland Hall has been given the green light for an extensive facelift.

The hall, which dates from the mid-19th century, and is used as the town council offices, needs urgent repairs to its crumbling masonry.

Emergency repair works have already been carried out on the property because pedestrians were in danger of being hit by falling stonework.

Layers of stone around the windows were starting to peel away and could have hit pedestrians walking between the side of the hall and Harvey Street. Part of a Corbel stone at the front which supported stonework above it had also fallen off.

The exact cost of the specialist repairs to the Grade 2 Listed building is not yet known but it is likely to be in the region of �50,000.

At the recent meeting of the Watton town council's buildings and assets committee members agreed that a contract for the work should be put out to tender.

The building is a former Corn Exchange and the council has been putting away money from annual precept accounts for such maintenance work to be carried out.

Once it is known how much the work will cost, committee members will look into seeing what grants are available for the historic building, said town clerk Jacqui Seal.