West Lothian Council has invested nearly £5 million on the delivery of Whitburn Partnership Centre which represents a significant investment towards transforming local services for the benefit of the Whitburn community.

Maxi Construction led on the redevelopment which has transformed the site at East Main Street into a new Partnership Centre, bringing a number of local facilities and services under one roof in the heart of the town centre.

The original Burgh Halls façade has been kept and restored. A new two-storey extension has been added to the retained East Mains Street building which will provide a new easily accessible main entrance leading into an airy reception area with seating.

The redeveloped building will provide accommodation for a number of services including Whitburn Library, Whitburn Housing Office, Access 2 Employment, Customer Information Service, Social Policy and Whitburn Community Museum as well as providing two community rooms, separated by a sliding folding partition which can be opened up to form one large Community Hall.

The project was the latest in the council’s partnership centre model that has proven successful in other parts of the area including Armadale, Bathgate, Blackburn, Broxburn, East Calder, Livingston North, Fauldhouse and Linlithgow.

Representatives from Maxi Construction met the leader of West Lothian Council, Lawrence Fitzpatrick, and West Lothian Council officers as the keys for the Partnership Centre were handed over to West Lothian Council.

John Aitchison, managing director of Maxi Construction, said: “We’re delighted to continue our successful association with West Lothian Council in the provision of local community buildings. We hope that the residents of Whitburn benefit greatly from the new Partnership Centre which has conserved the historic Burgh Halls and provides multiple services in the heart of the community.”

Maxi Construction’s contracts manager Brian Watters added: “I’m extremely proud of the collaborative effort to deliver this project in what has been a challenging period in construction. We hope the staff and public enjoy the facility as much as we did building it.”

Cllr Fitzpatrick said: “I am delighted to see the completion of the project to deliver the new Whitburn Partnership Centre. My thanks to Maxi Construction and council officers who have worked together to breathe new life into the Historic Burgh Halls while creating a new, modern facility that delivers a range of services within the town centre.

“Members of the local community have also played a vital role in shaping the renovation and the creation of additional spaces for community use was of vital importance from the outset of the project. I look forward to seeing the Partnership Centre become a central hub for the Whitburn community.”

Whitburn Partnership Centre will open to members of the public for the first time on Monday 24 October.