News / SIC forced to blow £1.7m on town hall
SHETLAND Islands Council has agreed to spend nearly £1.7 million on renovating Lerwick’s Town Hall building amid concerns about its structure.
The decision was made in private on Tuesday as the council made plans to address the “increasingly urgent” need to repair the Grade B-listed building’s stonework, particularly around its stained glass windows.
News of the proposal was only made public after a copy of the meeting’s documents were leaked to BBC Radio Shetland.
The renovation is expected to take place over two years between 2016 and 2018 at a cost of £1.68m.
The council hopes to receive around £929,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to put towards the project, but it is unclear whether this will actually be granted.
The local authority took advice from Edinburgh architects Groves-Raines on how to best deal with the structural problem, which comes despite the building being renovated in the 1990s.
The exact cause of the deterioration is not clear, with a number of factors mooted – such as the stone used in the last renovation being unsuitable to the Shetland climate or a chemical reaction caused by polysulphide sealer eroding sandstone.
After mulling over various options, it was decided that a broader renovation would be more effective than on-going repairs.
SIC convenor Malcolm Bell told Shetland News that the meeting was only held in private due to sensitive information relating to the tendering process.
The report suggests that the expensive renovation coming during an era of cost-cutting might tarnish the council’s reputation within public perception.
Bell said he understood people’s concerns, but they had a duty to maintain the historic building.
“We need this expenditure like we need a hole in the head, frankly – it’s very unfortunate that it’s cropped up. But we have no choice,” he said.
“If a window came in, or is irrevocably damaged, that would be an even greater reputational disaster for the council.
“We understand why people are concerned about that spending when we’re trying to protect essential services, but at the end of the day, we have a duty to maintain this building.”
He added that the building was decaying at an alarming rate.
“I’ve been up several times and you actually see the damage extending virtually by the day and it’s only a matter of time before it comes possibly irrevocably damaged.
“It’s important we get on and minimise the ultimate cost, because the longer it goes on and the greater the damage, it will only cost more.”
The council has submitted a second bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund after their initial application for funding was knocked back. Bell said they would be looking at every option to draw in external funding.
He also insisted that the expense would not impact on council services or other budgets, but any delay would push the cost up even higher.
“Unfortunately, it has reached a stage now where if it was delayed any further, it could have very, very serious consequences for the town hall.”
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