A PLEA for backing in the campaign to transform one of Tavistock?s most historic buildings was last week issued by a group hoping to attract thousands of pounds worth of grant funding into the town. John Taylor, chairman of Tavistock Forward, said it was battling to obtain the town?s ancient guildhall and police station for community use ? a project made complicated by the buildings? Listed status. Mr Taylor told last week?s meeting of Tavistock Town Council that part of the campaign involved a £20,000 study, to include an important public consultation exercise into future use of the guildhall, owned by Devon and Cornwall Police Authority. Mr Taylor said: ?We were hoping to get funding from Devon Rennaissance for this ? West Devon Borough Council has been very supportive and we had support from the chamber of commerce and the town?s business association. ?We wrote to you in July asking for £1,000 and we had this rather brusque letter back which we were quite surprised at.? Mr Taylor said Tavistock Forward was ?bitterly disappointed? at the council?s ?negative attitude?. ?In funding terms we would like clarification as to where you are,? he said. ?You are the richest parish council in Devon, if not the country, you have an annual income of £1.2 million. Since 2000 you have taxed the ratepayers of Tavistock £1.875 million and we have had one cash grant of £5,000. ?You have been very helpful individually, you have let us use the town hall on occasion, but actually, we have had very little support from you.? Mr Taylor said the guildhall was pivotal to the newly-designated World Heritage Site ? the council was a ?key player? in that it owned the lands and buildings around it. He said: ?We are trying to lever funds in ? there is only a limited amount available. We really are beginning to feel somewhat frustrated. We feel the opportunities are there, but they are being missed and I am pleading with you to be positive. ?Support from the local council is key.? Mr Taylor said Tavistock Forward had a very good relationship with the police and the authority had already agreed the group could buy the buildings and lease them back, while premises were sought for a new police station. Mr Taylor said: ?We are looking at ways to progress it and our current thinking is to set up a development trust.? Cllr Norma Woodcock admitted the relationship between Tavistock Forward and the council had ?soured? ? but she felt Mr Taylor?s detailed presentation to the council was ?very helpful?. ?I think all of us have benefited enormously from the physical energy of your members and your capacity to be able to access money,? she said. Town mayor Cllr Caroline Keane said she thought it was a pity Mr Taylor had not come to talk to the council before the request for £1,000 had been made. ?I think there needs to be better communication,? she said. ?The guildhall is very important to us, it?s terribly important it turns out well and the area is looked at as a whole, rather than in isolation.? Cllr Brian Trew said the council might be rich in terms of what it owned but it also had ?massive? overheads. Cllr Philip Sanders said if the council was to make grants to any future development trust, it would need to be sure of the trust?s set-up and security. ?It seems to me this council is at a crossroads and has to make some decisions ? and make them quickly,? he said. Mr Taylor said because of the complexities of the building it was impossible to say how much funding would be required to develop the guildhall long term ? English Heritage would have the last say on the matter. However, a development trust, its make up yet to be decided, would work for the benefit of the town and not for commercial gain.
