A MEETING to discuss concerns over the future of the Old Folk's Rest Room is due to be held by Tavistock Town Council this month.

The situation regarding the building on Duke Street was brought to the attention of the council by mayor Cllr Harry Smith, following a question by Bryan Podmore, a trustee of Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS), at the annual town meeting on March 17.

Cllr Smith and many other councillors felt the subject of the premises in the town centre, formerly known as The Old Folk's Rest Room, needed to be discussed by members in order to debate its future.

Support for a campaign to revive the once thriving building has been shown by members of TASS and from a Facebook page entitled 'Can We Revive Tavistock's Old Folk's Rest Room', which now has more than 180 members.

Members of the properties committee learned it was proposed to hold a meeting which would be attended by a select group of supporters, town councillors and staff.

Councillors from the properties committee expressed their support for the meeting, which will be closed to stakeholders.

Cllr Ted Sherrell was in favour of the meeting and thanked everyone involved in trying to revive the Old Folk's Rest Room.

He said: 'I must congratulate and thank all the people making such strenuous efforts to revive the Old Folk's Rest Room.

'This much loved facility is greatly missed and its return to the centre of Tavistock — either in the existing building or close by — would be welcomed by so many citizens of the town.

'The seemingly implacable refusal of the present owners to enter into any negotiations over recent years regarding returning the building to community use has been a source of great frustration, not least to the town council.

'It could be, however, that the unified efforts of, and pressure from, so many dedicated, determined local residents will, at last, bring about the re-opening of the rest room — I do hope so.'

• The premises was built by public subscription in 1953 for the use of the over 60s in the town and was leased by Tavistock Town Council, which paid a peppercorn rent to the building's current owners Huntstrete Estates — until the lease ran out in 2009.

Applications have been made to West Devon Borough Council on a few occasions to demolish the rest room and erect a two storey retail shop on the same site. So far these applications have been unsuccessful.