Wiltshire Council leader issues update on Salisbury City Hall

That's the message from Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer, who has sent a briefing to all Wiltshire councillors outlining more details about the work required to repair the venue.

The reopening of City Hall, which has been delayed following concerns about the building's integrity, has caused contention within the community, including a petition calling for its reopening.

In the briefing sent Monday, July 17, Cllr Clewer reiterated that the council “remains fully committed to reopening City Hall as an entertainment venue” and confirmed that the repair costs are estimated to be approximately £2m.

See more: Former Apollo theatre sound boss slams council for not repairing City Hall sooner

But the council can't open a building which isn't safe to allow live music to be played, he said. 

According to a condition survey of the building undertaken in February this year, £1.810m of works have been identified in order to return the building to a "safe and operational standard", with a further £200,000 needed for "potential asbestos and contingency".

Cllr Clewer also said that the income from the NHS renting the venue as a vaccination centre would not be sufficient to fully fund the repairs.

The NHS paid £291k to use the City Hall as a Covid-19 vaccination centre.

 In 2019-20, the last year in which Salisbury City Hall was operational as an arts venue, it made an operating loss of £265,799.

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The briefing also said that “a recent email from a senior officer states that it is recommended the building not be reopened until repairs are carried out. This recommendation was made following a surveyor’s instruction that acoustic stress should be kept to an absolute minimum until further investigations had been undertaken.”

The briefing confirmed that “until the COVID-19 pandemic the venue made an annual loss, and this happened every year since Wiltshire Council was created, so the council is looking at options that represents best value for money for taxpayers and gives City Hall the best opportunity to thrive for the long-term.”

Cllr Clewer said: “Following a few recent enquires I thought it would be useful to share some more information on the condition of City Hall which we think provides some context on some of the challenges we’re facing.

“As I said in the briefing, there has been a lot of recent public discussion about City Hall, and it’s clear that people are extremely passionate about this venue which has been part of the city’s cultural fabric for many years.

"We all want the same thing – a thriving City Hall that’s befitting of Wiltshire’s only city. We’ll continue to work hard to ensure that happens.”