£24 million Shirehall refurbishment report withdrawn hours before council meeting
A blueprint on a proposed multi-million pound refurbishment of Shirehall in Shrewsbury has been withdrawn 24 hours before it was due to be discussed.
A report had been due to go before the council today and was made available to councillors on Tuesday afternoon.
But yesterday morning, the report was removed from the agenda.
Officials blamed 'technical reasons' and insisted the issue would be back on the agenda within weeks.
Clive Wright, the council's chief executive, said: “The report concerning the refurbishment of the Shirehall has been taken off the agenda for the full council meeting due to IT issues resulting in some councillors being unable to access all of the relevant reports.
"We hope that the report will now go to full council next month. This will give councillors more opportunity to properly consider the proposals before making a decision.”
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Councillor Roger Evans, leader of the Lib Dems on the Conservative-led council, said he was surprised to see it had been removed from the agenda.
He said that members of the council should have been given time to read and pose questions on the report.
"Hopefully now we will be able to get the information we need to make a decision of this size," he added.
"Members said they wanted to read the report before the council meeting. Some could not access it due to technical difficulties.
Rush
"It has been a rush. This is a matter for major discussion and this situation is just not good enough. If work is going to continue at Shirehall everybody needs to be involved and understand what it going to happen."
The costs for the proposed redevelopment and refurbishment of the 1960s building have risen from an initial £18 million to around the £24 million mark.
The council says it will recoup the costs by renting out space and making efficiency savings.
But Councillor Evans is unconvinced, saying: "They say there will be a 7.4 per cent return on the investment. Is this on the £18 million or on the higher figure? How has that return been calculated? What investment are we talking about?
"I agree we need to do something and reduce the costs of the building year on year. It does need some investment and bringing in to the 21st century."
The council said earlier this week that the spiralling costs were down to a number of factors including car parking and IT requirements made by prospective tenants.
But Councillor Evans said: "At present there is not enough car parking to accommodate the staff at Shirehall. When the refurbishment is completed car parking will be at a premium. If we do not address that where will the staff park? It is not in the report.
"How will the partners be able to use the site when their own staff and visitors have nowhere to park? There has been talk about the police being based at Shirehall, a possible fast food outlet or even a hotel. Where are they going to go?
"I am not saying we can't invest to get a return but it needs to be thought out better than it is at the moment."
The full council was still meeting today to discuss a number of items.
