Group outlines plan to save civic centre

A campaign to save Whitchurch Civic Centre has been officially launched after Shropshire Council voted to dispose of the building.

More than 100 people attended a public meeting as campaign group Creative Whitchurch outlined plans to take over the site and run it as a community hub.

The group has formally expressed an interest in acquiring the building through a Community Asset Transfer (CAT).

The civic centre largely closed in 2023 after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was discovered and the council said it could not afford the estimated £4m repair bill.

Creative Whitchurch trustee Scott Radford acknowledged the challenge ahead in securing a takeover of the centre, but said the group was determined to succeed.

"We submitted a business plan to Shropshire Council some time ago and that was considered very kindly by them," he said.

"It needs work, so we need to go back and go again. It is so important to the town."

Radford said the group was looking for people with relevant expertise and knowledge to help develop its plans.

"Names have already been put down and I think that shows the spirit this town has," he added.

A CAT is a process that allows community groups to take over council-owned buildings and run them for the benefit of local people.

Whitchurch West councillor Sho Abdul said there could be an opportunity to use Community Infrastructure Levy funding to support the project.

"There are lots of caveats, but there is a possibility we can use some of it," he said.

"We have been working with Save Our Civic and Creative Whitchurch on helping finance this plan."

Steve Law, Shropshire Council's head of property and development, said officers would work with councillors to establish a timetable for the building's future.

"Officers will work alongside members to set a timescale over the coming months and get the disposal process moving as quickly as possible, but also giving the time for groups to come forward," he said.

Council leader Heather Kidd pointed to the success of a fundraising campaign in Bishop's Castle, where residents raised £250,000 to save the SpArC leisure facility.

"If you can come forward with a good campaign, we will do anything we can to help you do that," she said.

"If Bishop's Castle can raise £250,000 in a year with a population of 1,400, Whitchurch can do something much bigger than that."

"These buildings are really important to communities and none of us were elected to stand here talking about having no money."

The civic centre opened in 1970 and was previously home to organisations including the town council, library and driving test centre.

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