Institute under threat

A public meeting heard that the parish council, in conjunction with the management committee, was considering employing a development officer for the institute to market the property and chase funding sources to keep it running.

But members were divided on whether such a role was justified, in the light of a move by Craven council to employ an officer to look at arts provision in the district, concentrating on the institute, Settle's Victoria Hall and Skipton Auction Mart.

Parish council chairman Gill Birks said they were "reaching a critical point in the life and history of Glusburn Institute," and outlined recent issues which had cast doubts on its future viability.

Among these were the introduction of legislation to ensure disabled access to all public buildings by 2004 - necessitating a new lift - and the loss of a major source of revenue when South Craven Community Act-ion moves to new offices at the secondary school.

Cllr Birks said that the parish council as custodian trustees of the building had given financial support to the management committee over the years, including purchasing the adjoining Baptist chapel, but would prefer to donate to capital projects such as the development officer. However, chairman of the management committee Jill Wright said the appointment was 'premature'.

"I have been involved with the institute for 26 years and it was a very different culture back then. People were willing to be involved in community affairs," she said. "But the culture which prevailed 26 years ago does not prevail now. We don't have a young group of people who have both the time and the energy to spend fund-raising, decorating, cleaning and all those things that need to be organised to make this building viable.

"I love this building, it drives me to distraction but I love it and I would dearly love to see it continue. When the idea of a development officer came up I was really rather relieved.

"But an officer from Craven council is coming to look at this building I understand, with a view to making it into an arts centre for Craven. Although we did originally agree with the parish council that the development officer would be a good idea, I'm going to ask them to defer that appointment until this officer has reported."

Cllr Seward said that an independent assessor would be called in to assess the viability of the building, including whether it would be better sold for development and another smaller building built elsewhere as a village centre.

Resident Canon Edward Gee repeated his suggestion that a sub-post office be put into the institute, possibly with a small shop.

Mrs Wright said that this was one of the options under consideration and that a representative was coming to look at the building this week, to see if it was secure enough to hold a post office.

Canon Gee added: "Please bear in mind whatever decisions are made, do not just affect us 'oldies' but the future generations, long after we have gone.

"If this is closed it would be a tragedy. They will look back and ask what on earth were our forefathers thinking about when they let this beautiful building go." Both Cllr Seward and Cllr Birks gave their re-assurance that selling the building or pulling it down was the 'worst case scenario'.

"There is no intention on anybody's part to dispose of this building, unless we find it impossible to run. There is absolutely no sub-agenda here, we have no intention of getting rid of this building unless we are forced to do it because of financial or other reasons," Cllr Seward said.

"But I can't do my community duty and keep a building going that isn't going to work. That would be stupid."

Members of the parish council and the committee agreed to defer the appointment of a development officer until the outcome of the independent audit, and until they have heard the district council's intentions towards the building.

Another public meeting will be held to discuss the way forward at that time.