ACCESS Bolton will temporarily close while the town hall is revamped.

From Monday, Access Bolton will be temporarily moving some services from the One Stop Shop in the Town Hall to Bolton Central Library in Le Mans Crescent while the ground floor of the Town Hall is modernised.

The £8.5 million refurbishment and redevelopment of the Town Hall, which is expected to be completed in 12 months’ time, is being carried out with the aim of doubling the number of council staff in the building to about 900.

This will enable the council to dispose of other buildings which could save £10 million, as well as saving running costs of £1 million every year. But the work will mean that from October 7 the road running along the south of the building from Le Mans Crescent to Victoria Square will be closed. Motorists wishing to use the Coronation Street entrance of the Octagon multi-storey will have to drive along Howell Croft South, Ashburner Street, Blackhorse Street and Great Moor Street to get to Coronation Street.

The road will be closed for 12 months. Bolton Council leader Cllr Cliff Morris said: “We are committed to keeping the One Stop Shop open, however some services have to be relocated temporarily to the library.

“Whilst this may be a small inconvenience, it will allow us to refurbish the One Stop Shop and create a better facility for residents when the building reopens.”

Services like the self-service telephones, internet and kiosks as well as cashiers, licensing, planning and building control will remain in the Town Hall’s One Stop Shop.

But people wanting to deal with housing benefit queries, council tax issues and all other counter services will need to go to Bolton Central Library where there will also be an additional self-service area with telephones and internet services.

Brian Tetlow, Chairman of Bolton and District Civic Trust, said: “The work has got to be done to make the space more useable.

“It is all being done to professional standards and it won’t affect the essential fabric of the building.”