Reopening City Hall in Salisbury could cost £2m

Condition surveys show the hall needs £2m worth of repairs

Salisbury City Hall will need £2m worth of repairs to make it "usable" again, according to a survey.

The building, which was south Wiltshire's largest concert venue and a Covid-19 vaccine hub, has been closed since January.

Wiltshire Council is now looking for another organisation to run it.

In a statement, the council said it wanted to "safeguard the venue's future and provide long-term financial stability".

The concert venue is more than 60-years-old and has not been used for shows since before Covid. Over the years, it has hosted names like The Beatles and David Bowie.

An engagement event will now be held to find organisations which might want to run the venue on behalf of the council.

The council hopes it will help them decide whether they should spend the £2m or consider a bigger improvement.

Richard Clewer said getting a third-party provider "with the right expertise" was a key priority

An idea to move Salisbury Library and Young Gallery to the site had been investigated, but the council said it found it was not viable as there would not be enough space.

Wiltshire Council's leader, Richard Clewer, said he wanted the venue to be a "long-term success".

"We appreciate people's enthusiasm and passion to reopen City Hall quickly but when it does open its doors again, we want it to be around for the long-term."The project team will continue to work hard to develop the best solution for both the reopening City Hall and future proofing Salisbury Library and the gallery moving forward so that these can play a key role in the cultural offer of the city," he said.