Fears for Shrewsbury's English Bridge Workshop arts group

It is feared the building may be sold instead of being transferred to the community

There are fears a historical building which hosts an artists' community group could be sold.

The English Bridge Workshop (EBW) said they had concerns Shropshire Council's plan to transfer ownership to community use had been put on hold.

The group, based in Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, has organised a meeting to call for the property to be saved for public use.

The council said it followed concerns about the level of community use.

The EBW was set up in 1985 and events are currently organised by MakeSpace CIC.

Councillor Kate Halliday said many people had attended events at the venue

Labour's councillor for Belle Vue, Kate Halliday, said many residents had attended gigs, meetings, events or classes at the EBW over the years.

"MakeSpace CIC are continuing the tradition of encouraging local and artistic communities to use the building and applied for a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) which would put the building more firmly in the hands of the community," she said.

"To hear that the building might be sold in an attempt to solve the council's financial problems is devastating for the residents of Shrewsbury and for MakeSpace CIC, who have exciting plans to improve the premises, and who thought they had found a new home."

The council has previously warned it would have to make "very difficult decisions" as it looked to make savings of more than £50m.

In a statement on Monday, it said to meet criteria for a Community Asset Transfer the majority of the building needed to be for community use.

Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for housing and assets, said: "At the CAT panel meeting in April 2024 it was agreed to put their application on hold, and we informed MakeSpace CIC of this decision earlier this month.

"This follows serious concerns we have about the level of community use, with the majority of the space currently being used by small businesses, which would be deemed a commercial use, and very limited use of the hall for community bookings."

The meeting, at the EBW centre, will start at 19:00 BST.