THE prospect of a giant party in Barnard Castle in December 2004 took a step nearer reality this week with the announcement of a £45,000 grant for the town's Witham Hall.

Jill Cole, chairman of the Witham redevelopment project sub-committee, said the award, which came via the Rural Development Programme's Market Towns Initiative, was excellent news and would fund phase two of the redevelopment project at the Witham, the scheme design study.

Together with match funding, it would help cover the cost of employing architects and a project manager as well as legal and administration costs.

"We hope to issue a contract to the architects after Easter and they, along with electrical engineers and others, will be employed to take things to the next stage," she said. "Based upon the recommendations in our feasibility study, they will implement a full scheme design and instigate planning permission. We will get to a point where we will get the overall vision for the Witham drawn in fine detail."

Ms Cole estimated that the design study would take between six and nine months and was confident that, because the project had proved manageable and been backed by One North-East, it would open doors to the next phase.

If all goes to plan, the most ambitious option for the Witham, which could cost up to £5m, would include providing for the hall's users, working with the public library, creating facilities for young people, creating performance space and a cinema, an art and exhibitions gallery, space for local history and heritage archives and a conference and lecture theatre.

If the plan comes to fruition, a giant party has been promised at the refurbished hall on December 15, 2004.

The match funding appeal is still going strong and anyone wishing to help can call in at the Witham for a form or contact 01833 631107