WINCHCOMBE Town Council's efforts to acquire the town's old junior school and use it as a civic or community centre appear to have taken a significant step forward.

Gloucestershire County Council has now appointed a facilitator to act in negotiations with the town council.

Explaining what that meant, town Councillor Pat Smith, chairman of the acquisition group, said: "I suppose that means we have first refusal."

He said the appointment of the facilitator would allow the town council to negotiate with the county on a one-to-one basis, and it would not have to compete with commercial developers.

The town council has been trying to get the school, which is on the site of a scheduled ancient monument, for two years and coun Smith said councillors envisaged it becoming a valuable community resource, accommodating the council, a nursery and the police.

He expected meetings with the facilitator to start shortly, while the county council tried to assess the value of the site.

Town clerk Wyn Taylor said it was unclear what would happen to the parish hall in Cowl Street if the council did acquire the old junior school.