Slow progress being made on Salisbury's City Hall

Wiltshire Council's David Redfern provided the Salisbury Area Board with an update on the progress being made to bring the City Hall back in to use.

The update, the first of any note since Savills was announced as the organisation appointed to market the venue in May earlier this year, didn't reveal much other than the marketing process is nearing its end. 

Since June, Savills UK has been supporting the council in identifying organisations best suited to enter a lease exceeding 25 years. On Thursday 19th September, an update was provided at the Salisbury Area Board.

Savills have confirmed that multiple parties have been interested in taking a long-term lease to operate the building. To ensure complete due diligence, an article was published in an arts publication which provided one more opportunity to promote the long-lease proposal to the whole of the market. At the end of September, Savills will ask interested parties to confirm their views on the lease and schedule. Savills will then make recommendations to the council based on the outcomes.

Confirmation of the interested parties cannot be released due to the commercial nature of the situation. 

A stipulation for prospective operators is that the venue remain an entertainment venue. Should appropriate operators be appointed after this process, they would be responsible for running the venue, but the council would retain overall ownership.

Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the council, said: “We’re pleased that there has been interest in City Hall as given its heritage and location in the centre of Wiltshire’s only city it offers so much potential for a successful future. We see a successful re-opened City Hall complementing the wider cultural offer of Salisbury and all the other investment currently taking place in the city.

“We want Salisbury City Hall to be sustainable for the long-term at no extra cost to the Wiltshire Council taxpayer and that’s why this due diligence is so essential – we want to get this right.

“Due to the commercial nature of the conversations, and with the marketing still ongoing for a short time longer, we can’t share any further specific details at this stage, but we will keep everyone updated as soon as we’re able to.”

As part of the process, the council has invited potential interested tenants to submit social value plans. When appropriate, the council will have separate discussions about the added social value delivered through City Hall and how the venue can contribute to the aims and objectives set out in the council’s new Cultural Strategy for Wiltshire, formally adopted in July.

Salisbury Area Board and other stakeholders will be updated and made aware of any major milestones, including if a deal is reached with a provider.