The Victoria Hall renovation will begin in May this year after a new plan was adopted to include a bigger lounge area and a bar. The changes came about after the hair salon on West Street decided to vacate its premises. The new plans incorporate the increased space and, the council believes, realise the full potential of the premises. They expect that the loss of income from the leased property will be made up by the increased use the new additions should prompt.

The renovation project is the second biggest undertaken by the council since the restoration of The Courthouse. Funding comes primarily from a loan of £460,000 from the Public Works Board. Although the interest rates are very low and are fixed for the next fifty years, the expected cost of the project will ultimately reach over £1 million. The impact of this will be an increase in Oundle Council Tax, estimated to be about £12 a year extra per household. The council hopes to raise £25,000 through the community and have already staged three successful events. In December the Oundle Beer Festival raised £1,660; the Mayor’s Charity Ball raised £1,200 and the Coffee and Cake Morning raised £250. An auction of promises and a sponsored walk are also planned.

Elsewhere in Oundle, the council-owned Cemetery Lodge on Stoke Doyle Road is on the market, as it is considered too expensive to maintain. There is currently an offer on the property. The council is unsure what to do with the neighbouring Cemetery Chapel; possible ideas have included a quiet retreat for community groups, or even demolition, but nothing has been decided as yet. The lease on the Drill Hall House is being released by Rockingham Forest Trust, which will create the potential to redevelop the Drill Hall to incorporate the house. The Council is currently considering its options.