Over 400 residents attended a meeting regarding the future of Whitchurch Civic Centre on Saturday.
The meeting was arranged by Whitchurch Town Council after it was last week revealed by Shropshire Council that due to RACC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) across the majority of the building, it is recommended that the site be demolished and redeveloped.
The packed-out meeting held at the Civic Sports Hall saw many voice their concerns that the town must continue to have the facilities the current Civic Centre provided.
Local representatives including Mayor Andy Hall, North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan and Mark Barrow Director of Place at Shropshire Council attended.
Whether or not the current building is usable, the MP says the town needs the facilities a Civic Centre provides – and that Shropshire Council and Ministers need to work together to make this happen.
Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said:
“Losing the Civic Centre would rip the heart out of Whitchurch. The facilities provided must be protected, and I am calling on Ministers to intervene and work with Shropshire Council to make this happen.
“I have set up a petition for residents to sign and help demonstrate how strong the feeling is in town. With a good 400 people at the public meeting, I know that people here care and are prepared to fight for the facilities they deserve – and I want to do all I can to support our market towns.”
Her petition has received the backing of Whitchurch Mayor Andy Hall.
Cllr Andy Hall, Mayor of Whitchurch, said:
“The strength of public opinion in Whitchurch is clear – we’re not prepared to lose the Civic Centre, and we’ll fight tooth and nail to keep it.
“There is a really strong case for Ministers to intervene and I’m fully supporting Helen’s efforts to put that across to them and show how strongly people here feel about losing the Civic.”
Helen’s petition can be signed at: https://www.helenmorgan.org.uk/whitchurch-civic.
Shropshire Council Report
A report to Shropshire Coucnil’s Cabinet this Wednesday 17th January, recommends the closure of Whitchurch Civic Centre – as the cost of repairs would be significant and not viable for the council – and the redevelopment of the site.
It also recommends that work be carried out to find alternative provision for the library and community services in the town centre and that Shropshire Council works with Whitchurch Town Council to find them a new home.
It’s estimated that the demolition and redevelopment of the site to bring forward a mixed-use development scheme incorporating community uses and residential would cost £1.25m. No decision has been taken about what would replace the complex.
In comparison, work to demolish and rebuild the complex like-for-like would cost between £6.035m and £7.635m, and work to replace the roof and other essential items would cost £2.36m to £2.45m
Shropshire Council says the demolition and redevelopment option is considered to be the most appropriate option as it provides the opportunity to deliver community services within the town centre as part of a mixed-use scheme.
Subject to the approval of this recommendation work will to develop a business case will be carried out and the local community would be consulted as part of this work.
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