IT IS perhaps unsurprising that Witney Town Council looks set to close Langdale Hall and sell the site for redevelopment.

The idea first surfaced in 2011, when the Witney Gazette revealed the council was thinking about selling the building in Langdale Gate as it was running at a loss.

It needed a subsidy of more than £60,000 a year at the time, as fees from users failed to meet running costs.

Bringing those groups and others into an updated Corn Exchange, to make it a hub for community activities, can only be a good thing and will also produce revenue to ensure the building can be properly maintained in fuutre.

Town council facilities manager Claire Swan says consultation with the public had shown that reviving the Corn Exchange was the most popular option.

Councillors also questioned whether the town needs two central council-run halls, especially when many former users of the Corn Exchange moved to the High Street Methodist Church or Henry Box School, in preference to the Langdale Hall.

The only question that remains is how the restoration of the Corn Exchange – which closed two years ago – will be funded.

If a planned £2m application for a Heritage Lottery Enterprise Fund grant fails, the council will have to rely on a loan or other fundraising measures to add to the proceeds from selling the Langdale Hall, though its central location should mean no shortage of offers from developers, delivering a good deal for the town.