Battle begins to protect Shire Hall from bulldozers
A resident who has applied for Shropshire Council's Shirehall office building to be protected from demolition says it would be “short-sighted and foolish” to destroy the building.
The comments from Jessica Kendrick, of Shrewsbury, come after Shropshire Council confirmed it is seeking ‘immunity from listing’ for its Shirehall base in the town.
Immunity status would prevent the building being listed as a heritage asset, a status that would hinder Shropshire Council’s plans to sell the site and move to new premises by 2023.
Shropshire Council’s application only came to light after members of the public lodged requests with Historic England for the building to be listed, believing the 1960s structure could be of future architectural significance.
Ms Kendrick is one of at least three people to have applied for the building to be granted listed status. She criticised the council for its lack of transparency in applying for a COI and failing to consult with members of the public.
She said: “The Shirehall was built by architect Ralph Crowe and the structural engineer for the building was Ove Arup. He is widely considered to be the foremost engineer of his era.
“Shirehall is a wonderful example of 60s architecture and is well constructed.”
The council’s leader Councillor Peter Nutting had said the immunity would ensure the authority could get best value for the site.
