HIGH-level backing for the project to preserve Tavistock?s police station as a regional important visitor centre came at a public meeting in the town last week.
The deputy chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police has thrown his weight behind the idea ? but warned it could be a long-term ideal.
West Devon and town councillor Alison Clish-Green raised the subject of the police station?s future at last week?s police liaison meeting held at Tavistock College.
She said: ?What are the police?s future plans for the Guildhall building ? can we have some sort of commitment that you wouldn?t sell it to the highest bidder??
Deputy Chief Constable Nigel Arnold said Tavistock Police Station was a ?very important building? to the police authority which owned it, and to the community.
He said the authority was legally required to get the best possible return for the Guildhall and was working with organisations like Tavistock Forward and the town council to investigate its future uses.
He said: ?What we are trying to do, and there is some distance between vision and achievement, is to try and secure funding from outside agencies to secure that building on some sort of long-term lease, so we might use it in part for a visitor centre or exhibition centre involving policing over the ages.?
Dep Chief Con Arnold said the police had had ?positive comments? from English Heritage about the idea and he hoped the current feasibility study commissioned by Tavistock Forward would back this type of use.
?I recognise we don?t need all the building for this and what we want to do is go into it in partnership with others for the benefit of the town, whether it?s for a museum or visitor centre.?
He added that ideas were ?embryonic? at present, but it was vital to retain the integrity of the building.
John Taylor, the chairman of Tavistock Forward, the organisation which has commissioned a feasibility study into future uses of the Guildhall, said a progress meeting was held on Monday between the police, Tavistock Forward, English Heritage, the borough council, town council and DTZ, the consultants carrying out the feasibility study.
He said a market appraisal into the Guildhall had now been carried out by DTZ and although the project was still ?very early days? he was very encouraged by the reaction to the scheme so far.
?The police and English Heritage are being extremely helpful, they really are,? said Mr Taylor.
Another progress meeting will be held next month.