Town council purchases former Halifax building in Wellington

Wellington Town Council has bought the former Halifax building on Walker Street using a public works loan, and says the ground floor will be refurbished for retail while upper floors become residential apartments.

Wellington Town Council has purchased the former Halifax building on Walker Street in the town centre. The building had been empty since the bank closed in January 2025 and the neighbouring charity shop left in May 2025. The council says the takeover is part of wider regeneration work across the town. The purchase was funded through a public works loan. Key details: - The building is the former Halifax premises on Walker Street, previously also occupied by Oxfam. - The bank closed in January 2025 and the adjacent charity shop vacated in May 2025. - The council funded the purchase with a public works loan and described it as an investment in the town. - The council said the ground floor will be refurbished as a "prime retail space" and the upper floors converted into "high-standard residential apartments". - Nearby regeneration includes market renovations, projects at The Orbit and the former YMCA, and demolition of a derelict building on Duke Street to make way for a new two-storey building. - The former charity shop recently provided a temporary base for the Telford African and Afro-Caribbean Resource Centre to support a hurricane relief appeal. Summary: The council frames the purchase as a tangible step in Wellington's town centre regeneration and says it aims to preserve the building's character while repurposing it for retail and housing. Work on nearby sites and a demolition opposite the former bank are continuing as part of the broader programme. Undetermined at this time.