A TEMPORARY roof was hoisted into place above one of Great Yarmouth's most iconic buildings at the weekend as a major renovation project got underway.The roof trusses on the town hall will allow the decaying slate roof to be repaired as part of a £1.

A TEMPORARY roof was hoisted into place above one of Great Yarmouth's most iconic buildings at the weekend as a major renovation project got underway.

The roof trusses on the town hall will allow the decaying slate roof to be repaired as part of a £1.5m project to restore the 125-year-old building to its Victorian splendour.

South Quay was closed to motorists while the roof frame, which was constructed on the harbour side, was lifted into place. The old roof was in such a state that water had leaked into several council rooms, including the mayor's parlour, and deteriorating drains no longer work.

David Frowde, the council's technical director of community housing, said the temporary roof would keep the inside of the hall dry while the old roof is fixed.

He said: “We're hoping to re-use a fair percentage of the original tiles where we can and we're bringing in new ones to match up where there are gaps.

“We're hoping it will be well on the way to completion by late summer, but it depends on what we find underneath when we start stripping the roof off.”