The proposal to move Smalltown and Dullbridge Town Council from Hayloft Road Palace to the Old White Elephant School has hit a snag as it emerges that the owners of the school, Somerset Cuonty Council, are not interested in a swap.
The school has been empty since it closed in 2017 and SaDTC has been keen to acquire the property to form part of its grand plans for the White Elephant Enclosure Cultural Centre (WEECC).
A SaDTC spokesperson said “Our approach to SCC to offer a straight swap, one building for another, has been met with negativity. We were hoping they would look favourably on the plan, because we would like to move the Town Council offices further away from Dullbridge and into the centre of Smalltown.”
When SaDTC first mooted the idea they hoped to be able to purchase the property, but since then the council has spent all the money on keeping the White Elephant Enclosure going, so this plan is no longer viable.
“Somerset Cuonty Council simply aren’t interested in swapping one old building for another. However, they have given us a counter-offer for Hayloft Road Palace and are willing to give us a pack of ‘Top Trumps’ cards, together with the boxed board games ‘Monopoly’ and ‘Scrabble’ in exchange for the Palace. We are actively considering this proposal.”