No more pawing the ground for a new exhibition hall at the Harrogate International Centre. Now it's a case of clawing the ground.

The first sods were turned by a digger in the Royal Hall's car park in Harrogate at the start of creating a new £2.6 million exhibition hall.

The contract was awarded to Ballast Wiltshier to design and build what will be known as Hall M in an intensive programme to be completed in late August.

The result will be a 1,500 sq m clear span single storey hall with decorative glass, portico entrance and reconstructed stone columns.

Phil Willis, Harrogate's MP and chairman of the Harrogate International Centre board, said the hall was fulfilling a commitment from the town to its existing and potential clients.

He said: "I have total confidence that this exciting development will achieve all our objectives both in terms of timescale and budget, safeguarding the continued financial prosperity of the Harrogate district."

Paul Lewis, director of HIC, said that details of numerous contracts for tenancies of the new hall would shortly be announced.

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