Wisbech Council is looking to buy historic Corn Exchange

The council's potential purchase of the Wisbech Corn Exchange on North Brink was discussed as a confidential item at a council meeting in July, and the minutes of that discussion have now been published.

And was discussed in passing at last night's town council meeting.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Steve Tierney said there was little that could be said about the purchase at the moment, as they were awaiting the results of a building survey.

He said: "The majority of councillors agree that the building should be saved as it is an important part of the town's heritage.

"But we can't make a decision until the survey work has been carried out.

"If the town council does buy the building, then people should know it would be the biggest public space in the town."

At the confidential meeting in July, Cllr Sam Hoy outlined the background of the historic building, which dates back to 1811, and the fact it was now available to buy; however, the price has not been made public.

She said the council had identified possible funding from the Wisbech Town Board to help secure the building, or alternatively, a loan from another local government body.

RECOMMENDED READING: Polish family join immigration debate and support flag flying

If the town council bought the building, which was once a top music venue hosting stars of the 1960s that included the Rolling Stones, then it would have to decide what it could be used for to benefit the community.

She outlined three options: For the council not to buy the building, to buy the building with funding from the Town Board, or to purchase the building with a loan, which would need approval from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Her preferred option was to buy it with the help of the Town Board.

Cllr Steve Tierney said: "The acquisition and subsequent public use of this building would be an ideal, potential 'flagship' project for the Town Board to support."

He felt the council should seek to acquire the building but pointed out that the council would need to have the necessary resources, both human and financial, to be able to operate the building for community use.

Cllr Tierney had been inside the building and found its interior condition was "better than he thought it would be".

Cllr Nick Meekins expressed the opinion that this would be an exciting project and said the Corn Exchange building is a key heritage site in the town and ought to be in community use.

In his opinion, the purchase price was not expensive.

However, he made the point that the council would need to consider how the building would be operated.

Cllr Meekins also supported seeking funding from the Town Board, but if that was not possible, then to go down the loan route.

Cllr Garry Monger was also in favour of preserving the town's heritage, and therefore supported the council buying the Corn Exchange.

But he said the council needed to be "mindful" that it had enough resources to address the operational and maintenance issues of taking on more buildings.

Other members shared the opinion of Cllr Hoy that, if possible, obtaining the funding from the Town Board for the purchase of the building would be both less risky and less expensive for the council than borrowing the money from a third party.

In that way, it could be possible to buy the building sooner rather than later. The loan route would take longer because of the need for Government approval.

Members acknowledged that whatever means were used to secure the funding to purchase the building, the council would need to meet the costs associated with the purchase and then the ongoing operational costs.

It was unanimously agreed to ask the Town Board for funding - the board was due to discuss the matter under a confidential item at its meeting last month.

It is understood that the outcome of that discussion was positive, but the final decision has not been made public yet.

The Corn Exchange is currently owned by the family of the late Wisbech entrepreneur Norman Jacobs.

In 2017, the Wisbech Corn Exchange Conservation Trust was founded, chaired by his son Norman Jacobs jnr, to "preserve and restore the Grade II listed North Brink building to provide contemporary multi-purpose facilities for all to enjoy".

The Trust has previously held a public consultation asking what people would like to see the building used for, and also launched a fundraising effort to restore the building.

For much of the 20th century, it was an entertainment venue and saw big names from the music world perform there, including the Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lulu, Tom Jones, Adam Faith, Frankie Vaughan, and The Hollies.

The Corn Exchange closed in the early 1990s after initial plans to change its use to a cinema were halted.