Negotiations begin over reopening of Oswestry cinema

Oswestry Town Council has agreed to start negotiations with the owner of the building to establish a sale price, and to seek funding for a full business case.

However councillors stressed a final decision on whether to go ahead with the project was still some way off.

Giving an update to members at a meeting of the council’s markets and town centre committee, clerk Arren Roberts said it was at the stage where the council needed to get an “ongoing dialogue” underway with the current owners of the building.

The talks will be led by Mr Roberts in consultation with the mayor, Councillor Mark Jones, and finance committee chair, Councillor Duncan Kerr.

The council agreed earlier this year to explore the potential for buying the building and restoring it to its original use, and a working group set up to take the project forward met for the first time on February 14.

The group, chaired by Councillor Kerr, also suggested asking for some of the money from the High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme, which aims to regenerate run-down buildings in the town centre, to be allocated towards the preparation of the business case.

Councillor Mike Isherwood said: “These are obviously just the first steps. I think we do need to give Arren instructions to pursue these things, but obviously just at the very early stages.”

However mayor Mark Jones said: “I’d like to see a proper business plan drawn up before we start thinking about buying buildings to be honest.

“I think we need to know what it’s going to return. What’s the point putting our money where our mouth is until we know what we’re going to do with it when we’ve spent it.

“You’re putting the cart before the horse I’m afraid.”

Mr Roberts said this would be done before councillors are asked to decide whether to go through with the purchase.

He said: “The initial dialogue is just to see whether the building is actually for sale and to have some dialogue, certainly not to put in an offer.

“Clearly any decision by this council will have to be based on a full business case, and there’s a proposal that we try to get some money from the Heritage Action Zone group to fund a business case.”

Councillor Kerr said the Future Oswestry Group (FOG) had already done much of the groundwork in looking into the possibilities for the building.

The town council has also made contact with the Independent Cinema Office, which could provide consultancy services and advice, and Councillor Kerr said this would be invaluable in helping councillors come to a final decision when the time comes.

However he said: “There is a danger that the more work you do, the more you increase the price of that building by.

“So we do need to have a dialogue with the owner to make sure it is actually for sale before we do too much work on the building, and try and get to some understanding of what the purchase price would actually be.”

Councillors agreed to ask the clerk to begin negotiations with the current owner, and to approach the Heritage Action Zone group for funding for the business case.