New Lord Hill statue could be created alongside Shirehall revamp

Councillor Peter Nutting, leader of the unitary authority, today revealed discussions have already taken place to look at extending the £18 million Shirehall scheme.

But he added that at the moment a decision has not been made about how it would be funded.

Repairs to the 200-year-old statue, which sits on top of a 133ft pillar outside the building, took place in 2013.

At that time a public vote supported replacing the 17ft statue.

Councillor Nutting said: “We have been struggling to fund it separately. We did a job of work on the statue five years ago but it was always a make do and mend situation.

“We have now got to start thinking about a permanent replacement, and while we are looking at this whole building perhaps we should include the column.”

Councillor Nutting said because the existing statue is made of coade stone – an artificial stone which was often used to create statues in the 18th and 19th centuries – English Heritage has said a replacement must be created in the same sort of fashion.

The early discussions have involved the Friends of Lord Hill, who ran a fundraising campaign for the 2013 refurbishment, and Dr Tim Jenkins, the council’s culture and heritage services manager.

Councillor Nutting added: “It’s not definitely sorted but it is part of the considerations are part of the Shirehall.”

He also said the work on the landmark would help to develop the land in front of Shirehall.

Councillor Nutting said the changes to the front of the building would be “radical” and could include retailers such as McDonald's and Costa Coffee to take advantage of passing trade, particularly students from Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology.

“Thinking in terms of the public realm, the land between the column and the Shirehall, perhaps we can improve the seating so people can sit there without thinking they have got to come into the Shirehall,” said Councillor Nutting.

“We are quite conscious that there is a college up the road with 2,000 students so if we have something like McDonald's and Costa Coffee, they nearly all walk past to get to the college so you can see the commercial opportunities there.”

It was revealed earlier this week that work on the £18 million refurbishment is not expected to start until October 2019 and will take around 18 months to complete.

As part of the scheme the 1960s building will be opened up, meaning some office space will be vacated, leading to plans for the council to welcome other organisations to its Shrewsbury base.

Discussions have taken place with West Mercia Police to look at them utilising some of the space in a bid to generate additional income for the council.

Councillor Nutting said they hoped for an annual saving of £2 million from the work.

By Emily Lloyd, local democracy reporter