'I know this will be disappointing': Whitchurch Civic Centre redevelopment put on hold amid council's money problems
A senior councillor has expressed regret as plans to redevelop Whitchurch Civic Centre are set to be put on hold due to Shropshire Council's dire financial straits.
The scheme is expected to be paused along with a number of other Shropshire Council projects as the authority wrestles with a financial crisis.
This week it was confirmed that the authority had reviewed its entire capital programme.
The revised programme is set to be approved by the council's cabinet next week, but it means that no money is being allocated for the Whitchurch project. The centre has been closed since 2023 when reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found in the roof.
The £29 million revamp of Shrewsbury Sports Village is another project placed on hold, with senior councillors saying it would not be possible to justify the borrowing required when the council is already requesting £200m from the Government in emergency loans to balance its books.
Addressing the developments the council said it "remains committed" to the Whitchurch project if the money can be found.
It said it would look for external and government funding to pay for the work.
Councillor Andy Hall, chairman of the Whitchurch Civic Centre working group, said: “We had hoped that the Civic Centre would be included in Shropshire Council’s capital plan for the 2026/27 financial year. Regrettably the council’s financial position has worsened in recent weeks and a financial emergency has been declared, meaning the council has had to review all of its planned spending.
“I know this will be disappointing news for many people in Whitchurch and the surrounding area, but the challenging financial position that the council is in means we need to think carefully about how we spend our capital budget in the coming financial year.
“But Shropshire Council and Whitchurch Town Council remain committed to redeveloping and reopening the Civic Centre and providing a facility that local people want and need. We will be working hard to identify alternative sources of funding and remain hopeful that the project will be included in the capital plan for the year 2027/28.
“And as chairman of the working group I will be actively exploring other options and commercial opportunities within the local community to ensure we can provide this much-needed facility.
“I also want to reiterate that the £4 million previously promised by the council’s previous administration for this project was never actually included in their capital programme, meaning there was no actual funding in the programme for the work.”
Councillor Rose Hall, chair of Whitchurch Town Council, said: “We’ll continue to explore options as part of the working group and, whilst capital projects may be ‘halted’, hopefully in the short term, this does not impede our desire to reach a satisfactory resolution to the Civic Centre RAAC position and return this vital asset to community use as quickly and as practically as we can.
“In the meantime we remain committed to operating the Market/Sports Hall and our temporary base at the Town Hall & Community Hub in Station Road.”
The civic centre has been closed since September 2023 – except for the sports/market hall – after specialist engineers found that RAAC concrete exists across the majority of the complex, and that it has major structural issues.
The Whitchurch Civic Centre working group is made up of local Shropshire councillors, Whitchurch town councillors, Helen Morgan MP and officers from both councils.
