Civic centre loss would ‘rip the heart out of Whitchurch’ - MP
North Shropshire's MP has warned that plans to tear down Whitchurch Civic Centre would "rip the heart" out of the town.
Helen Morgan said she will fight for a replacement for the civic centre after plans were revealed to tear it down.
The building has been closed since September after the discovery of dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Further inspections revealed widespread structural issues, made worse by the widespread existence of asbestos which would be disturbed by any works.
A recent report has recommended that the building is not safe for reopening and should be torn down.
Shropshire Council's cabinet has been recommended to authorise the permanent closure and demolition of the building, with the cost of repairs said to be significant and unviable.
The civic centre had been used by around 20 community groups for a variety of purposes, alongside Whitchurch Town Council and the local library service, while the town market is next door.
It was also set to be the new home of a driving test centre in Whitchurch after the town's previous test centre closed in 2022.
A report to the council's cabinet, which will be discussed next week, recommends that work be carried out to find alternative provisions for the library and community services in the town centre and that Shropshire Council works with Whitchurch Town Council to find it a new home.
Under the plan, the site would be then be used for a mixed-use community and residential development at an estimated cost of £1.25m.
In comparison, the council say 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 from £2.36m to £2.45m.
But Mrs Morgan said a replacement should be funded.
"Residents in Whitchurch are rightly outraged at these proposals," she said.
"Losing the civic centre would rip the heart out of Whitchurch unless a replacement is funded.
“Given the council has wasted £51 million on Shrewsbury shopping centres, it’s only fair that a much smaller sum is spent on providing crucial community facilities in Whitchurch.
“Residents in Whitchurch are getting less and less for their council tax as services continue to be slashed – and that’s particularly wrong when rates are already higher than Shrewsbury."
Council taxpayers in Whitchurch already pay some of the highest rates in the county, with a resident in a Band D property in the town paying £97.92 a year more than people in Shrewsbury.
Mrs Morgan added: “Shropshire Council have a duty to promote the economic and social development of our market towns, and need to step in here to save our services, not just spend money in Shrewsbury.
“I will be campaigning to seek funding for a replacement building that can serve Whitchurch residents, provide local services, and continue to be at the centre of the community."
She has reportedly secured a meeting with Levelling Up minister Jacob Young to discuss the plans.
