Community groups get more time to consider future of former library building

Atherton Centre has been advertised by Wigan Council as being available for a community asset transfer (CAT) since the start of last year.

It has been vacant since the town’s library moved into the refurbished Atherton Town Hall in 2018.

Atherton Community Trust had been considering various ideas for the future of the building, with its last remaining option being a veteran’s hub.

Four requests for an extension to the period for submission of business plans were granted by the council, but the deadline passed last month.

The trust could not raise the funds needed to progress with the bid and withdrew its application.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the disposal of the building would not take place straight away, so councillors have offered groups a further four weeks to submit formal plans to secure its future.

Coun Nazia Rehman, the council’s cabinet member for finance, resources and transformation, said: “The building needs significant investment to bring it back into viable use and it won’t be an easy task.

“We have worked with the community for a long time to explore the options of a CAT.

“We understand a new opportunity may have presented itself and therefore want to give the community time to explore that and submit a full business plan and detailed funding package.”

However, Atherton Community Trust has insisted it does not intend to use the extra time to revive its plans for the building on York Street.

Trust chairman Norman Bradbury said: “We don’t feel we would be able to do anything in four weeks so we don’t see the point of the extension.”

Atherton councillor Stuart Gerrard, a director of the trust, had asked for the extension at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, but confirmed the group was no longer pursuing developing the building.

He said: “I think we need a community building, a focal point where people can meet. I think this crisis has proved that we need somewhere people can get together.

“We have lost Formby Hall, that is now a pile of rubble and this is going to go the same way unfortunately, unless someone comes in to do the building up.”

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