PEOPLE power has been praised in Whitchurch by councillors at both town and Shropshire level after plans to knock down the Civic Centre will be redrawn.

Shropshire councillors Peggy Mullock and Thomas Biggins, as well as Prees member Paul Wynn, were joined by Whitchurch mayor Cllr Andy Hall at the Cabinet Meeting at Shirehall on Wednesday.

They all admitted their delight that the recommended option six – to replace the Civic Centre with a multi-use building and housing because of the RAAC crisis – was amended to restart with a consultation among residents and the council.

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And this, according to Cllr Hall, was in no small part to 500-strong crowd at Saturday’s public meeting.

He said: “I am delighted with the outcome of the meeting and think it is the best outcome we could have wished for.

“We welcome the commitment of Shropshire Council to explore other opportunities in relation to appropriate funding of any options for Whitchurch Civic Centre, including working alongside our MP, making separate approaches to Government and, most significantly, that the voice of the people of Whitchurch has been heard.

“It is also vitally important that Shropshire Council also committed to continue to do this going forward.

“We also look forward to participating in the proposed steering group, which we continue to hope will include the opportunity for considerable public consultation and involvement, in order to create a realistic appraisal of all options based on the needs of our town and the surrounding areas.

“At the same time, we must of course, thank the Shropshire councillors for Whitchurch for attending the meeting and speaking in support of the town and it’s beloved Civic Centre and of course, our residents who have spoken so loudly about what matters to them and our High Street.

“This is a community effort, and our community has made their feelings known.

Councillor Peggy Mullock added that the row back from option six by Shropshire Council was an ideal scenario for the town.

“As far as I’m concerned, we have a blank piece of paper in front of us and the first thing we should do is ask the people of this town what they want,” said Cllr Mullock.

“On Saturday, this would have been only a hope for us and I did say that it couldn’t be guaranteed but it’s an ideal scenario.

“The Civic does need to start again because of the RAAC.

“But it’s on the terms of Whitchurch people.

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“Shropshire Council can apply for other funding now.

“I’m just delighted that we’ve got everything back to the starting point and I want to thank all those people who turned up to the meeting on Saturday.

“The phone calls I’ve had, the emails I’ve had – the support has been amazing.”

Helen Morgan MP said: “It is good to see a willingness from Shropshire Council to work with the community in Whitchurch and put this wrong right.

“Losing the Civic Centre would rip the heart out of the town and the services must be replaced.

“Too often, it seems that Shropshire Council are happy to spend tens of millions in Shrewsbury then say there’s nothing left when it comes to our market towns. They should use this as a chance to invest in Whitchurch.”