Whitchurch civic centre could be demolished after RAAC found
It's been closed since September 2023.
Whitchurch Civic Centre is beyond economic repair and should be demolished and rebuilt, according to a new report.
The discovery of dangerous aerated concrete(RAAC) in the roof of the 1970s structure has left Shropshire council facing a potential £2.5m repair bill, with council officers recommending the building should be knocked down, in a report set to go to cabinet next week.
Should the recommendations be approved, plans would be drawn up for the future of the High Street site, with the report’s preferred option of a new masterplan including mixed residential and community uses.
Other options which will be discussed include complete replacement of the roof structure at an estimated cost of between £2.3m-£2.4m and simply doing nothing apart from closing the building.
The building has been closed since discovery of the RAAC material in September 2023, with the town’s library and registrar services left temporarily homeless while the building was assessed and stablised.
Now it looks as though those services will have to be provided elsewhere for the foreseeable future, after an engineers report described the condition of the roof of the building as “Bad – Life expired and/or serious risk of immenent failure”, requiring immediate repair.
“Following the findings of the structural engineer’s report, an options appraisal with outline budget estimate costs has been provided in consideration of meeting the medium-term and long-term function of the property in providing public services,” read the report.
“Based on the economic, social, and environmental factors and aligning to the Shropshire Plan, Climate Strategy and buildability factors, demolition and rebuilding or redevelopment of the site would be considered favourable options to consider.”
Officers say the preferred option of a new “master plan” scheme for the site would provide a more cost effective long term solution for the building.
Shropshire Council say they would work with Whitchurch Town Council to identify a new civic building for the town in the meantime but ‘would not be in a position’ to provide financial support.
“Subject to the approval of the recommendations of this report further work will be undertaken to develop this business case,” the report added.
“Officers will progress more detailed work to consider development options and a master plan which fulfil community needs and which mitigate as far as possible burden on the public purse.
“Working to a more efficient use of the site and provide a mixed use in the future could present an option providing a return on the potential investment.”
The report will be discussed at a meeting of Shropshire Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday, January 17.