Decision to block Shire Hall from being listed building defended by council
Shropshire Council has defended its decision to block attempts to have Shirehall listed, and says it has followed the “correct procedures”.
The authority has faced criticism over its application to Historic England for a ‘certificate of immunity’ for its Shrewsbury Shirehall base.
The status would prevent the building being listed, which would grant it protections and potentially block attempts to sell the building off.
The move is a key part of Shropshire Council plans to leave the building, and would make it more attractive to potential buyers.
Criticism had come from the newly-formed Save our Shirehall group, which described the application to Historic England as ‘opaque at best and invisible at worst’.
In response a spokesman for the council said: “The application to Historic England for a ‘Certificate of Immunity’ forms part of this process.
Restrict
"The council has followed the correct procedures and the appropriate parties have been consulted with.”
The SOS group had also suggested that the council risked upsetting staff who wanted to go back to work in Shirehall, by reducing staffing levels.
The spokesman said: “Following the decision not to refurbish Shirehall we are required to restrict the total number of staff who can access Shirehall at any one time to ensure that we are complying with fire regulations.
“In addition, to make Shirehall Covid-secure and taking into account the government requirements for social distancing, we have had to reduce numbers further and prioritise the staff that come into Shirehall.
“We are able to offer access to Shirehall and other administrative buildings for essential staff who cannot work from home.”
