Council backs fight to keep Bridgnorth building
A campaign to save former council offices from being turned into houses has received the full backing of Bridgnorth Town Council.
Bridgnorth councillors have agreed to support residents trying stop Westgate from being turned into houses.
Paul Passant and Tim Bingham, who have helped form The Bridgnorth Community Group, said they hoped to raise £1 million through various grants to keep the building as community asset.
The group hopes to stop the building – once used by the former district council and Shropshire Council – from being demolished.
A petition has also been launched, which campaigners hope will reach more than a thousand signatures.
Shropshire Council had said the building and site was not available for transfer but campaigners hope support from the town council will buy them more time. Town clerk Anne Wilson said the council had fully supported the residents and would be making an application for an asset transfer.
She said work would begin on forming a Community Right to Bid, a scheme that was set up by the Government in 2012 to give the community groups the time to buy important community buildings and facilities.
Mr Passant, speaking during the town council's property and grounds committee meeting, said: "We feel Shropshire Council have been asset stripping our town of a number of buildings for years now.
"We would like this building to be retained by Bridgnorth for the community."
"The building belongs to us and the aim of our group is to retain the building as a venture for the community, part letting the building for office use, as there are five buildings that could be let to businesses, creating jobs in Bridgnorth.
"It's okay building all this housing in Bridgnorth but it does not have the infrastructure.
"We can make Westgate a community building for Bridgnorth to be proud of.
"We have approached Shropshire Council for an asset transfer and this was refused, so our next step was to ask as the council to request the building was transferred as an asset of community value.
"We could then be in line to bid to buy the building, which would be of no expense to the town council. We are not asking the people of Bridgnorth to pay either.
"We will be looking for lottery and other sorts of grants available so we can get this building up and running.
"This community asset transfer has to be taken seriously and there is a desire in the community to see this building remain in the community."
