Cabinet agrees recommendations to secure the future of Ludlow Assembly Rooms for generations to come
Recommendations which will allow Ludlow Assembly Rooms to continue to remain one of Ludlow’s key cultural assets were approved by Cabinet today (Wednesday 21 March).
The Ludlow Assembly Rooms building, owned by Shropshire Council, is currently part-leased to the Ludlow Assembly Rooms charity, with the ground floor of the building maintained by the council.
The lease review, Community Asset Transfer and improvement works report outlined two recommendations. The first recommendation is to initially increase Ludlow Assembly Rooms’ lease to 100%, which will include the ground floor of the building. The second recommendation is to transfer the building as a Community Asset Transfer to the Ludlow Assembly Rooms on a 123-year lease, following the completion of three key projects.
Increasing the lease to 100% will allow Ludlow Assembly Rooms to undergo the first key project and use its £350,000 grant it received from the Arts Council to turn the ground floor space into a café and a new box office.
In addition, the council applied for and was granted European Regional Development Fund money of £1.3m to undertake what will be the second project: work to upgrade the building in respect of reducing carbon reduction. This will include installing renewable heating technologies, making improvements to the building fabric and fitting high efficiency lighting.
Shropshire Council will also be investing in and undertaking work on necessary structural maintenance work of the building as part of the third project.
All three projects are scheduled for completion in the next two years. Following completion, the building will be transferred over to Ludlow Assembly Rooms as a Community Asset on a 123-year lease.
Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture and leisure, said:
“We know that arts and culture positively contribute to people’s well-being and the wider economy. Venues like Ludlow Assembly Rooms play a crucial role in making an area a great place to live and work.
“I am therefore delighted with today’s decision to approve the recommendations. This capital investment by Shropshire Council will allow Ludlow Assembly Rooms to maximise their earned income potential, whilst reducing their reliance on revenue support from the council, therefore ensuring that the Assembly Rooms remains a key cultural venue for local communities and visitors.”
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for corporate support, added:
“We know there has been a strong desire to transfer the Ludlow Assembly Rooms as a community asset. Over the years there has been a lot of work to ensure that the Ludlow Assembly Rooms remains a key cultural venue for Ludlow. The Cabinet decision today demonstrates a significant investment in culture in this part of the county.
“Today’s recommendations will help kickstart these projects, and is in absolute keeping with our work to support local communities to have ownership of assets and to develop and use these for the benefit of local people.”
Further information
For several years both organisations have been working together with the aim to transfer the building as a Community Asset Transfer to Ludlow Assembly Rooms.
However two issues have previously prevented the transfer to date: namely, modernising and putting the building into a good state of repair; and secondly, the lack of capital funding to allow the ground floor section of the building, which fronts onto Castle Square, to become a box office and cafe/restaurant.
