A REOPENING date for a prominent building in the centre of Haddington remains unclear, despite external works expecting to be finished within a matter of weeks.

Haddington Town House has been closed since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.

During that time, hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent on upgrades to the building, which is used by East Lothian Council for a variety of committee meetings.

Major roofing works have been carried out, as well as stonework and window repairs.

The building, which is also used by a variety of community groups, including Haddington and District Community Council, is currently covered in scaffolding.

This week, a spokesperson for East Lothian Council provided an update on the works, which are estimated at more than £600,000.

Structural works are scheduled to be complete by the end of October but further internal works are still required.

The first phase of works was carried out on the steeple a number of years ago.

The council spokesperson added: “Consideration is being given to the operational/management arrangements of the building.

“The council has introduced webcasting/digital meetings since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and has committed to the purchase and installation of a hybrid meeting system for the future.

“Work requires to be carried out to equip the chamber for this new meeting format.

“Following completion of the structural works, cleaning requires to be carried out as well as the installation of new internal décor and soft furnishings.

“We also continue to experience some staffing shortages in relation to cleaning and caretaking.

“All of this means that a re-opening date is still to be determined.”