ALTON’S Wey Valley Radio took another step toward the rebirth of the town’s very own community radio station with the offer, by Alton Town Council, of the use of the rear room at Alton Assembly Rooms or, possibly, the Finnimore Pavilion.

While Wey Valley Radio’s preference would be for a visible presence in the town centre, the Assembly Rooms site was the one eventually settled on by the town council’s policy and resources committee as the one it could currently offer.

The decision followed a lengthy debate during a committee meeting last Wednesday when four potential locations had been identified as possible venues for the new station.

The one favoured by Wey Valley Radio was the vacant shop unit under the town hall, being in an enclosed and secure location in the centre of town, where installation costs would be at a minimum, and having the advantage of being used as an easy ‘drop-in’ centre.

While considered “the perfect place” by broadcaster David Way, who is spearheading the drive to bring community radio back to the town, as a non-profit-making organisation Wey Valley Radio could only consider the shop unit if the town council was prepared to waive the rent and pay the rates, which currently stand at £4,000 per year.

But the committee heard that the shop unit was currently being marketed for an annual rent of £13,000 and that discussions had already been initiated with a charitable organisation.

Another suggestion was the installation of a container in the Alton Town Football Club enclosure at Anstey Park.

According to Mr Way, Wey Valley Radio had investigated this option which had been costed out at around £4,000 to include the buying and fitting out of a portacabin and the sharing of utility bill costs with Alton Town Football Club.

Also at Anstey Park, Alton Town Council had suggested the possible use of the Finnimore Pavilion, dismissing it initially due to a restrictive covenant imposed as a condition of grant funding by Sport England over the use of the building by non-sports-related groups. As councillors felt the use by Wey Valley Radio could present a more viable option than the current restricted use of the building, it was agreed that the town clerk should see if the covenant could be removed.

With the Finnimore as a questionable possibility, councillors felt the only viable option for the radio station at this time to be a rear room at the Assembly Rooms which Mr Way had agreed would be “perfectly adequate” for the installation of a studio, especially as it has a separate entrance and disabled access.

The drawback is that it may have to be left vacant for three separate weeks in each year, to enable Alton Operatic and Dramatic Society to use it as a dressing room for their shows.