WITNEY Corn Exchange could reopen in May, the town’s mayor hopes.

Jeanette Baker said she was “very excited” about the reopening of the centre, which has been closed for two years for extensive renovations. She hoped the centre would be not only a hub for community groups but also an arts and heritage venue.

She said at a town council meeting on Monday: “I would dearly love the Corn Exchange open in May for the community.

“It’s very exciting, and it really is progressing well.”

Our top stories

Controversy has been sparked by the council’s plan to sell Langdale Hall to fund the renovations at the Corn Exchange, in Market Place.

The sale is still under discussion but Mrs Baker said it could not afford to run two halls. The Corn Exchange was closed for reasons of safety.

She said all services offered at Langdale would be transferred to the Corn Exchange. She said: “It’s the taxpayers’ money that has to fund these things.”

The council confirmed earlier this month it had accepted a bid for the sale of Langdale Hall over and above its £750,000 asking price. Witney Museum has lodged a bid to have the hall registered as an “asset of community value”.

If accepted by West Oxfordshire District Council it could delay the sale by six months to give the museum a chance to raise funds to buy it. A decision will be made by January 9.

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.