New Forest District Council leader Cllr Jill Cleary confirms future of Lymington Town Hall
THE immediate future of Lymington Town Hall has been secured after assurances from council leaders – but long-term plans could still see it sold.
New Forest District Council had been considering its options for the building in Avenue Road, which is occupied by Lymington and Pennington Town Council, New Forest National Park Authority, the town’s police station and several businesses.
Now Conservative leader of NFDC, Cllr Jill Cleary, has said work on proposals for the town hall’s future had now been stopped and the local authority was not looking to sell the building.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Cllr Cleary said: “In terms of our assets, it is no secret that we as an administration have been considering the potential options for the future of Lymington Town Hall.
“With local government reorganisation now a clear priority, I have instructed our executive management team to pause on this as a project and a letter has now been sent to our town hall tenants, including of course amongst others the national park authority, Lymington and Pennington Town Council, and the police authority, to confirm that they are welcome to stay in the building beyond their current lease expiry dates.
“Whilst I cannot speculate as to what the long-term future of the town hall might be, I can confirm that at this time this authority is not looking to sell Lymington Town Hall.”
As reported in the A&T, mayor of Lymington and Pennington, Liberal Democrat Cllr Jack Davies, previously raised concerns that the building would be lost under devolution restructuring.
He also wrote to Hampshire County Council leader, Cllr Adams-King, urging him to secure its future.
Responding to Cllr Cleary’s comments on the issue, Cllr Davies said: “It’s great news that the short-term future of the town hall has been sorted.
“Conservative councillors argued for selling off the town hall to build a care home and houses. I don’t trust them not to carry on with those plans once local government reorganisation has happened.”
