Rhosddu Site To Remain ‘Mothballed’ While Future Is Discussed

The Council Executive Board will meet next week to discuss potential options regarding the future of Centre 67 in Rhosddu.

The property which currently stands in a ‘mothball state’, was previously used as a vicarage, before being turned into a mental health facility.

The centre has since remained vacant and unused since 2005.

The Adult Social Care Department currently occupies a site off Rhosddu Road, which comprises three buildings; the Cunliffe Centre, Greenacres offices and Centre 67.  Centre 67 was vacated due to the property not being compliant to the DDA and unsuitable for service delivery.

In February 2012 the Executive Board had authorised the demolition of the building to create additional car parking, and to alleviate parking and access difficulties on the site for both staff and clients at the Adult Social Care Department.

This decision was reversed in June by the board pending a further review of the information.

It costs just over £600 per month to maintain the property in its current mothball state.

At a meeting of the Lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care and the Lead Member for Policy, Finance, Performance and Governance it was concluded that the future of the building and whole site could not be determined until:

• A full review of Adult Social Care Service needs had been undertaken
• The implications of a proposed agile working policy were known on the number of officers working from the Cunliffe site
• A policy for staff car parking was established
• The outcomes from the Community Asset review are known

One of the proposals for the building is to turn the building into a ‘Free Space’.

The ‘Yum Yum Project’ have started an online petition to try and prevent the building from being demolished or remaining in its mothball state, and instead turning the property into a free community space.

Cllr Malcolm King said: “We are open to all suggestions on how we might use and develop our properties.

“The Yum Yum Project has put forward a number of interesting suggestions which need to be looked at”.

The preferred option of the council is maintain the site in a’mothball’ state until the outcomes of the actions and reviews are known and a further assessment to the site is undertaken.

Full details of the report can be found on the Wrexham Council website.