Shrewsbury Town Council looking for new premises as university moves in

The council needs to find new offices because its current base, The Guildhall, will become the teaching centre for the town's new university, which is set to welcome its first undergraduates this September.

Leader of the council, Alan Mosley, said it is in the process of seeking out new premises, with a preference for a town centre base.

He also revealed that the council has set aside funding to ensure that it can move to suitable premises in the town, although he stressed that members of the public would be fully consulted before any relocation was approved.

The premises could also include meeting rooms which would be available for public use.

Councillor Mosley said: "We have known for some time that the Guildhall will be required for full conversion into university teaching space and we are preparing to relocate from there by the end of the year.

"In fact, since our inception in 2009 we have recognised the need to develop our own premises and money has been put in reserves to that end.

"We are now starting to look for suitable accommodation in or adjacent to the town centre.

"The premises will need to provide good quality offices for our senior staff and administrative support as well as meeting rooms, which might also be available for public use.

"A facility for the mayor is vital and a prerequisite is that there must be good accessibility for residents and other visitors.

"We would prefer to acquire the freehold or long-term leasehold of the building."

Councillor Mosley said he also hoped that the council's new home would provide a base for the foreseeable future.

He said: "The town council is growing in terms of its reputation and extent of the services it provides for the residents of Shrewsbury and we will be looking for premises which provide a sustainable home for many years to come."

He added: "However, I give my assurance that there will be full consultation, with all residents able to have their say, before any significant money is spent and that any programme of work will be rigorously controlled."

The Guildhall, on the banks of the River Severn, and Shrewsbury's Rowley's House, will both be used by the new University Centre Shrewsbury when it accepts its first students in September.

The Guildhall will be the main base for lectures, while Rowley's House, in Barker Street, will be used for administration and teaching.

The applications, which were both supported by Shropshire Council's planning officers, were approved by its central planning committee at a meeting at Shirehall on March 12.