THE next stage in the plans to preserve Tavistock’s historic guildhall complex and bring it back into public use is now underway.

Last Tuesday, Tavistock town councillors agreed unanimously to endorse a draft business plan and submit an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding.

If successful this would enable the Grade II* listed complex, comprising the former magistrates court, police station and Trowte’s House which have been vacant since the police moved out in 2012, to be brought back into community use.

In a partnership between Tavistock Town Council and the Tavistock Heritage Trust, the council is seeking more than £700,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) toward the capital works, with the remaining £830,000 to be funded by the town council.

The plans will see the left side of the building — the former police station — used by the town council for offices alongside a hub for access to community services.

The old fire station doorway is planned to be the entrance and reception and from that area all the way right to the guildhall will be developed into a gateway centre for information about the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site (WHS).

Stage one of the bid was successful and now, after the vote last week, an application will be submitted for round two of the bid request — a commitment which would see the council enter into an agreement of 20 years and an estimated additional running cost each year of £61,200 in addition to the capital cost of undertaking the necessary works.

During the meeting last week, members of the town council read and discussed a detailed report which outlined the financial and other issues including the ongoing commitment to costs the council would be making if it was successful in its bid. There were some concerns, but ultimately the council was in favour of progressing to the next stage by submitting the application and making a final decision when HLF had considered it at the end of the year.

Mayor of Tavistock and leader of West Devon Borough Council Philip Sanders said: ‘I am supportive of this project as it’s a huge bonus to the town.

‘If this goes ahead we would be the eastern gateway to the world heritage site and that will allow us to publicise that fact far and wide. It might even give us the much sought after sign on the A30 directing people to Tavistock.

‘If we don’t go with it there is no doubt that the bid won’t be able to go ahead because Heritage Lottery are proposing to invest a significant sum of money. The gain at the end of the day could be significant and we need to be bold at this point in time.’

Clerk to the town council Carl Hearn said: ‘It’s important to recognise this represents probably the largest single project the Council might undertake including a 20 year contractual commitment with significant financial implications both now and in the future.’

Mr Hearn added: ‘The guildhall complex of buildings was built in the 19th century as an integrated facility for the delivery of law and order. The current scheme, if it proceeds, is to once more provide a sustainable 21st century public use and protect and preserve the fabric of this architecturally significant complex for future generations. This could enable the delivery of community services and support heritage interpretation, the promotion of tourism and the local economy.

‘It also provides the basis for an important part of the partnership between Tavistock Heritage Trust and the town council to support, promote and develop the unique heritage offer of our town within the mining World Heritage Site.’

The complex was mostly built in the 1820s to 1840s, except for the central part which is medieval and was part of the original abbey. The complex was remodelled in 1848 to comprise a courtroom, police station and fire station and Tavistock was thought to be the earliest town in the country to combine all these services.

It was also one of the longest used police stations in the country, spanning over 150 years.