Long-running proposals to renovate a former south Oxfordshire community hub have taken a step further after a local community engagement event. 

The Regal Centre in Wallingford, owned by the town council, has been the subject of discussion over what to do with the space for the seven years that is has been closed.

Wallingford Town Council last month announced its Vision and Strategic Plan for 2024 to 2031, which addressed improvements in the town across the board including plans for the Regal, to turn it back into a large-scale centre for community events.

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A public forum on Wednesday (November 21) last week gave residents an opportunity to have their final say and address any concerns they have about the proposal.

Councillor and deputy mayor Steve Holder said: “When we approved the plan, we also decided it would go back out to the community to make sure that the areas they asked us to focus on were still the right areas, and to see what their current thinking was on where we’ve been focusing our activities, finances and time over the last couple of years.

“We had a number of members of the public in attendance, and they were pleased with the direction of travel and that we’d adopted the plan. They were grateful to be involved in some of the discussions.”

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The Regal opened in 1934 and functioned as a cinema until its closure in 1973.

Wallingford Town Council purchased the property 1975 and used it as a community space until it closed again in 2017.

Following a public consultation which showed residents wanted a new town hub, a £3 million community centre proposal was called off in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The council has since secured £560,000, contributed by housing developers, to renovate it, and is considering how to maximise use of the space.

Cllr Holder added: “The questions that remain are what plan B is, and how long things are going to take.

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“We’ve set up a specific timeline for The Regal and we’re working with external consultants to make sure that what we do with it meets the current requirements of a growing community, including current developments.

“It’s been a long time in the making.”

The strategic plan named the Regal among three priority projects, the others being the town hall and plans for the recreation area at the Bull Croft pavilion.

Cllr Holder added: “Appreciating there’s always a lot to do within a town and within a community, what the people that came along felt was they’re really pleased that there’s a focus on three key projects.

“Instead of naming one hundred things and achieving nothing, we’ve got our focuses, and the council are committed to delivering them.”

Residents are invited to participate in the final community engagement session on the issues this Saturday, November 30, 9am-midday in the town hall.

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