A GRADE II listed building which has stayed empty for five years will be brought back to life.

North Herts District Council’s (NHDC) Cabinet agreed at a meeting on Tuesday for Letchworth Town Hall to be leased to North Hertfordshire College (NHC) for a 25-year period.

Councillor Terry Hone, NHDC’s deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance, said: “Cabinet agreed to proceed with the lease of Letchworth Town Hall to North Hertfordshire College, subject to details being finalised.

“This is good news for the town, good news for North Herts District Council taxpayers and good news for another one of our buildings which, like Hitchin Town Hall, will be maintained for community use.

“Letchworth Town Hall has been vacant for about five years now and we’d like to see it being used again, especially by an organisation such as the college which is a real asset to the town.

“Instead of us spending money on an empty building, this lease would remove a financial liability from the council and then give us an income while ensuring its future upkeep.”

The building in Broadway could be used for display space and offices currently based at the college’s nearby Goldsmith Centre for Business, which would free up more space for educational use in time for the start of the autumn term.

Once bought back into use, the town hall will need to be brought up to modern standards, including the installation of a lift.

Fintan Donohue, NHC’s principal, said: “NHC is delighted to have the opportunity to bring the town hall back into operation as a vibrant place of work for college employees.

“Our Goldsmith Centre adjacent to the town hall needs to extend its capacity to support increased demand from students and employers for apprenticeship training in particular.

“We intend to relocate administrative teams from the Goldsmith Centre and some from our Hitchin campus in the town hall just as soon as we have refurbished the building over the summer period.

“We have brought 100 young people into technology training courses at Goldsmith this year. These numbers will double as space becomes available at the Goldsmith Centre.”

NHC has said that it would not need dedicated parking on site.