ONE of the most iconic buildings in Oswestry is set to come into public ownership if town councillors agree to complete its purchase.

Llwyd Mansion, at the junction of Bailey Street and Cross Street, has been empty for a number of months following the departure of Toni & Guy hairdressers.

There has been some public discontent at the state it has been left in with a lack of clarity around ownership.

However, last month, Oswestry Town Council agreed a deal with the agent representing to buy the Grade One-listed building for £75,000 after an early offer of £50,000 was rejected.

A report to councillors from operations manager Henry Teuma ahead of the meeting has recommended completing the purchase.

It said: “It is the recommendation of officers for members to accept the final purchase price of £75,000 plus VAT and to delegate authority to the town clerk to proceed with the acquisition of the building.

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“Officers also recommend to delegate authority to the town clerk to form an advisory group to act in conjunction with Oswestry Town Council, to proceed with forming a construction tender document for companies to apply for.”

Mr Teuma, in his report, set out conversations around the restoration of the building and also any potential risks.

He added: “Should members choose to proceed with the purchase, once the purchase has gone through and ownership transferred to the council, the next steps would be to have an independent valuation conducted on the premises.

“Following the valuation, because of the complexity of the building and its listed status, it is recommended that a small working group is formed made up of members from Shropshire Council heritage and conservation teams, Historic England and Oswestry Town Council.

“This working group would act in an advisory capacity on ways to move forward and step by step on what is required and when.

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“Members of these organisations have already agreed, in principle, in assisting with this project.

“Clearly this is a risky project for the council and while the building can be renovated and done to a good standard, it comes with future liabilities which are not built into the budget.

“These cannot be estimated at this point, but the landlord does have some statutory and ongoing obligations.

“The council can determine whether or not this is a commercial or social investment.

“Should it be a commercial investment then it would be prudent to employ a commercial agent to market the property.

“However, should it be social, the council may wish to seek expressions of interest.”

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