All options for Whitchurch Civic Centre 'will be explored'

Mark Barrow said the council was "sensitive" to the views of the Whitchurch community

All options will be looked at before a civic centre is demolished, concerned town residents have been told.

The building in Whitchurch closed in September after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found.

A recommendation has been made to Shropshire Council's cabinet to knock it down and develop the site.

About 400 people are believed to have attended a public meeting on Saturday, many of them worried about plans for the building.

Mark Barrow, council director responsible for buildings, told them that the council's recommendation was just the starting point for discussions.

"People in Whitchurch will be consulted, to ask what they want," he said.

The meeting was hosted by Whitchurch Town Council to allow people to ask questions to a panel which included Mr Barrow and local politicians.

Mr Barrow told the gathering he had lived in Whitchurch for 30 years and said: "I'm just as interested in getting the best deal and the best outcome for Whitchurch as all of you."

Raac was discovered at Whitchurch Civic Centre during maintenance work

Mr Barrow also explained the facility had been losing money and was receiving £100,000 in subsidies every year.

"The town council are not going to want to take on a white elephant that they couldn't afford, so we've all got to be involved in a big conversation for Whitchurch about what we want," he said.

• What is RAAC concrete and why is it a safety risk?

• Whitchurch civic centre: demolition plan after Raac closure

• New Raac schools list of buildings with unsafe concrete

The report due to go before Shropshire Council's cabinet on Wednesday sets out six options which include doing nothing, spending £2.5m on repairs and spending up to £7.6m to knock down the old building and build a replacement on the site.

But the option that has been recommended involves clearing the site and making it available for a "mixed use development" at a cost of £1.25m.

Mr Barrow said: "We are being led by evidence, we are being led by experts."

But he said there was also a "commitment in the report is to explore all of those options" and promised to report back the feelings of the people at the meeting.

He also revealed negotiations had begun to find a new home for the town's library, which had been housed in the civic centre.