Decision to lease historic site to bikers “months away”
A proposal was put to councillors last month by a group calling itself Welsh Bikers for Suicide Prevention, with founder Jeff Green making an impressive presentation to show how they would transform the forlorn site into a safe space to tackle mental health.
But it was met by caution from some councillors due to Mr Green’s connection with a biker group called The Valley Commandos, with local MP Steve Witherden also urging the Town Council to do its due diligence after sharing his concerns. Councillors also called for proof that the charity actually existed, which Mr Green said was in the process of being set up.
Our previous story can be read here.
But at last night’s Full Council meeting, Cllr Nick Howells reported back that he had not received any proof that the charity had been set up, and said that he was happy to wait until such proof was to hand.
Cllr Richard Church then responded that with his knowledge of setting up such entities the the Town Council “will be waiting for months and months”.
Councillors agreed to wait until the relevant charity paperwork was to hand before discussing.
The historical Motte and Bailey site opposite Tesco has become a thorn in the Town Council’s side.
It was originally leased from Powis Estates in the hope that it could become a cultural site for visitors, but is has been left to go to ruin and will take a lot of Welshpool tax-payer money to return it back to its original state, which is how they would need to hand it back at the end of the lease in the next 10 years.
However, Mr Green proposed that the Welsh Bikers for Suicide Prevention take on the site in its current state, carry out all maintenance work and also pay a significant annual rental to use it as a hub for the biker community to gather, with professional mental health support available.
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