A new café is set to open at the historic Guildhall in Winchester, Hampshire, as part of £3.2m redevelopment plans unveiled by Winchester City Council (WCC).

The venue's main hall will undergo refurbishment work, while the scheme will also include improved access, lifts to all floors, new carpets and doors, and new display areas for the city's art and museums collection. Work is expected to get underway on the building's exterior in January 2010 before the interior renovation scheme starts in April 2010. The project is set to be completed by the end of November 2010.

Funding for the scheme has come from money bequeathed to the council by the late Bapsybanoo Parvey, Marchioness of Winchester, who died in 1995 and directed that the money should be spent on the Guildhall. WCC portfolio holder for finance, estates and efficiency, Frederick Allgood, said: "This project will bring significant economic, social, and cultural benefits to the city. Winchester Guildhall is a building for the people of Winchester and one of our aims is to offer better facilities for community use whilst also continuing to attract visitors from further afield."

Winchester Guildhall manager Ian Folger added: "This refurbishment project will ensure that the Guildhall can continue to fulfill its role as an important community venue."