Two options on table for closed civic centre

Whitchurch Civic Centre closed in September for safety reasons

Whitchurch Civic Centre, which was closed after unsafe concrete was discovered, will be either repaired or replaced with a similar building, Shropshire Council has said.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found in September and it was one of hundreds of public buildings affected after concerns emerged about the material.

A council report in January recommended demolishing the civic centre and use it for mixed use development, but that was met by widespread opposition from local residents.

Following a consultation, the council has now ruled out the most unpopular options.

However, it is unclear how the project will be funded.

The council said 1,130 people gave their views on the future of the community facility, which represents about 10% of the population of the town.

The two most popular options in the vote were to replace the roof and carry out other essential work, or to leave the Raac in place, but to build a supporting framework.

The council decided to merge these into one option for further consideration.

The third most popular option was to knock down the building and build a similar facility, which it previously said could cost up to £7.6m.

The council decided to include this as a second option for further consideration and said feasibility studies would now be carried out on both.

Paul Wynn, Shropshire Councillor for Prees, said he hoped an update could be produced in September.

Last week, Helen Morgan, the MP for North Shropshire, approached the new government asking them to help rescue the community building.

The council ruled out the three least popular options, which were to redevelop the site, to clear the site, or to do nothing.