The future of Trowbridge Town Hall

Wiltshire Council are being asked to support a scheme to restore the Town Hall to life. Its use as a coroners court will end in October. A plan to use the building as a community and arts centre is being drawn up by the 'Trowbridge Town Hall Group', which consists of local councillors and interested residents.

As far as WC is concerned the building is a liability. The council has looked to sell it on the open market but estimates it would be lucky to get £250,000, though in the current state of the economy no potential buyers have come forward, or seem likely to.

Maintaining the listed building as a vacant property without allowing it to deteriorate will cost around £50,000 per year. At the moment the costs are partly offset by the rent paid by the coroners.

The Town Hall group currently have £16,000 to draw up feasibility studies and to look for grant funding for the project. WC is giving them about eighteen months to bring forward funded proposals before it looks again at other ways of getting rid of the building.

The group's prospectus is contained within the agenda for the Capital Assets Committee at: Agenda details on public web site pages 31 - 41.

Their embryonic website is at www.hawkes.gb.com/townhall/history.html

Trowbridge Area Board has given the project its backing. The group now need the support of the WC 'Capital Assets Committee' next week. The CAC is likely to allow them time to do more work on the project and look for grant funding from organisations such as the Arts Council and The National Lottery