The Vale of White Horse District Council has issued a press release about the future of Old Abbey House http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/news/2020/2020-07/possible-new-future-old-abbey-house

Old Abbey House is a much-loved historic building in the heart of Abingdon. It is owned by the Vale and has been empty since 2014.

We are pleased that the Council is now actively seeking a way forward for this building. We know how important this is to the people of Abingdon, so we are also pleased that, at last, the Council is willing to talk to the community about ways of retaining Old Abbey House as a facility for the people of this town.

There is no shortage of ideas about how the building could be used, but it is clear that the Council doesn’t have the resources to do all of this for us: it will take a major community effort to achieve this. A team needs to be assembled with the skills and commitment to make this happen. There is much work to be done: applying for grants, preparing a business plan, assessing refurbishment needs and costs, managing the project, and more. People with a wide range of skills and perspectives will be needed. Lots of other towns are doing similar things – it can be done, and there is plenty of advice and support available on how to do it. The key thing at this stage is to bring together a core team of people with the necessary skills, time and commitment to start taking the project forward.

If you think you could be part of that team, please email us as soon as possible for an informal discussion.

You can read more about this in our “Civic Pride” column in the Abingdon Herald.