Council votes to dispose of closed civic centre

The community would be involved in the future of a town's civic centre, Shropshire Council has said, despite councillors voting on Wednesday to dispose of the site.

The Whitchurch centre shut in September 2023 because reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or Raac, was found, and the authority stated it could not afford the £4m needed to repair it.

A community group aiming to save the centre has said putting it "on the market should be treated as an opportunity to test all viable options - not as the end of the civic centre's community future".

Liberal Democrat leaders said they would engage with the community and the council was "not selling Whitchurch at the present time".

Leader Heather Kidd said the council had been asked by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to put the site "on a disposal list so that we can look at the best options ".

"Some... buildings are not worth anything, only to the communities they're in. So if they're on the disposal list, we can have a logical discussion with whoever might take it on," she added.

Kidd said the council was borrowing money just to deliver statutory services and could not "carry on borrowing".

She added: "The best we can do now is to find a way to help communities do what they need to do for themselves."

The leader added Whitchurch had "lots of very, very well educated, active people".

The centre opened in 1970 and was home to organisations such as the town council, library and driving test centre.

John Moore from the Creative Whitchurch group, which is aiming to secure the centre's long-term future as a community and cultural hub, said: "We have a big cliff to climb, but I think it's worth climbing."

Moore stated the closure of the centre had removed "one of the vital organs from the town" and he thought Wednesday's cabinet meeting decision had been "inevitable" given the "state of Shropshire's finances".

He said he believed Raac-related issues could be repaired, rather than a building demolished, and also stated there was asbestos in the former civic centre that would need to be removed.

The community group previously said it welcomed a council statement that disposal would not automatically lead to demolition or redevelopment, and that community proposals - including a community asset transfer - could be considered.

It added it was being established as a charitable incorporated organisation to raise funds.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.