After 30 years, work to build a new hall in a rural Suffolk village will finally begin.
Grundisburgh is set to get a new village hall in the coming months after work on the site was approved by East Suffolk Council.
The village's existing hall is nearing 100 years old and has come to the end of its useful life.
The new village hall will sit opposite the existing building, just off Ipswich Road.
Permission has already been granted and renewed to have the old hall taken down and its site used for two houses.
Bryan Laxton, chairman of the village hall, said: "It's a long time coming but it will be well worth it in the end."
Mr Laxton said that improvements had been made to the plans in the latest application, thanks to a change in costs.
"We have a bigger hall for the same price," said Mr Laxton.
"We simplified the whole thing."
Mr Laxton said the planned changes had been largely inspired by looking at other village halls in the county. In particular the hall at Monks Eleigh, which was built a few years ago, had been a particular inspiration to those behind the plans in Grundisburgh.
The new plans for the hall have more space for storage as well as a bar area in addition to the planned kitchen.
There is also more space for the local amateur dramatics group GADS to put up staging.
The same contractors, DAB, are set to build the new village hall and the new homes, meaning that the village will not be without a hall at any point during the process.
Community fundraising events by those within the village helped to raise almost £100,000.
A further £200,000 of grant funding was awarded to the project by the National Lottery Community Fund alongside almost £50,000 from other grant giving entities which will all go towards the new hall.
Commenting on the planning application, district councillor for Grundisburgh, Colin Hedgley said: "A new village hall is long overdue and much hard work and soul searching by the parish council and the New Hall Committee has been expended on getting this project off the ground to a point where the go ahead can be given.
"The people of Grundisburgh deserve a new village Hall."
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