Civic Centre loss could rip the heart out of Whitchurch

Whitchurch Civic Centre must be replaced, according to North Shropshire’s MP, who has warned that plans to tear it down without an alternative would ‘rip the heart’ out of the town.

The discovery of RAAC at the centre has meant that it cannot currently be used, and a paper to next week’s Shropshire Council Cabinet recommends the decommissioning of the site to be sold off for development.

This is despite the fact that options for providing a replacement Civic Centre on the High Street are yet to be fully explored aside from a rough estimate of £6 million for a like-for-like building.

The Civic Centre is well-loved, with around 20 community groups regularly using the facility for various purposes, alongside Whitchurch Town Council and the local library service, while the town market is next door.

Council taxpayers in Whitchurch already pay some of the highest rates in the county, with a resident in a Band D property in the town paying £97.92 more than people in Shrewsbury.

The MP has pledged to fight for a replacement for the Civic Centre to serve the town, and has a secured a meeting with Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young to discuss this.

Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said, “Residents in Whitchurch are rightly outraged at these proposals. Losing the Civic Centre would rip the heart out of Whitchurch unless a replacement is funded.

“Given the council has wasted £51 million on Shrewsbury shopping centres, it’s only fair that a much smaller sum is spent on providing crucial community facilities in Whitchurch.

“Residents in Whitchurch are getting less and less for their council tax as services continue to be slashed – and that’s particularly wrong when rates are already higher than Shrewsbury.

“Shropshire Council have a duty to promote the economic and social development of our market towns, and need to step in here to save our services, not just spend money in Shrewsbury.

“I will be campaigning to seek the funding for a replacement building that can serve Whitchurch residents, provide local services, and continue to be at the centre of the community.”