While we wait with bated breath to hear what the Ministry of Justice decides to do with the Gaol the Save Reading Gaol campaign, in conjunction with local businesses is inviting kids and adults to participate in a visual art competition.
Having turned down Reading Borough Council’s March bid for Reading Gaol, the Ministry of Justice has opened a new round of bids. Reading Borough Council’s previous bid of £2.6m remains on the table.
The Ministry of Justice has seen fit to reject Reading Borough Council’s bid for the Gaol. The Ministry gave the Council just 3 months to put together the bid. They then took two months to decide that they wanted more money. The council have announced that their offer is still on the table.
After Artisan Real Estate pulling out from the purchase of reading Gaol, Reading Borough council was awarded a period of exclusivity to prepare a bid. This period has now ended. The council’s policy committee meeting on March 8th gave the council the go ahead to submit the bid.
Following a campaign that has included the MP Matt Rodda’s petition and the Reading Gaol Hug, Reading Borough Council’s bid to obtain Reading Gaol to create an arts and cultural hub has failed. The identity of the successful bidder, thought to be a housing developer, has not been revealed.
