Belfast City Hall - men at work (& women too!)

Back in August, the story broke that Belfast City Hall might have to close for major renovations.

"... Belfast City Council is considering closing their own headquarters in the centre of Belfast for up to 12 months to fix the roof, remove asbestos, re-plumb, rewire and repair the stonework of the Edwardian building that recently celebrated its 100th birthday."

The press office have released a statement today to explain:

"The 100-year old building is to close next summer, for a maximum of 22 months. [Write that figure down in case it “does a Wembley”] ...

The City Hall will be completely closed for the duration of the work, with staff moving to offices in nearby Adelaide Street ...

Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, and all other events, scheduled to take place at City Hall before July 1 2007 will go ahead as planned. The City Hall grounds will remain open throughout the work, with annual events such as the Continental Markets taking place as usual ...

Belfast City Hall will re-open to the public as soon as possible after its forthcoming £10 million renovation and refurbishment programme."

Councillor Alex Maskey, Chairman of the Council’s Policy and Resources Committee and a recent ex-Lord Mayor, said:

“By completely closing the building, we can ensure that all the work is carried out at once, as quickly as possible, and in complete safety.”