Night shelter for homeless in Leamington looks set for move to new premises

LWS Night Shelter has been using the former Priors Club building in Tower Street, Leamington, as a temporary premises.

But volunteers and organisers for LWS have been hoping to move to the new site at the former Italian Club in nearby Packington Place for about a year.

Now councillors on Warwick District Council’s planning committee will make the decision on the move at a meeting next Tuesday evening (January 29), with officers recommending it to be approved and the authority having already offered its backing to LWS.

This has come from the authority, in part, in the form of a financial pledge to cover the cost of refurbishing the building - thought to be up to about £60,000 when the plans were first put forward.

When the plans for the move were first made public in February last year, Councillor Peter Phillips, the portfolio holder for housing and property services, said: “I’m very much looking forward to working with LWS on this venture and being able to offer practical support to them to continue with the amazing job they do in helping the most vulnerable people in our community.

“I was pleased to inform my fellow councillors that funding provision is available to allow the council-owned, former Italian Club building to be used for homeless people subject to planning approval.”

In response to this Susan Rutherford a director of the shelter, said: “We are thrilled to have the support of the council in making the old Italian Club the premises for our night shelter.”

Established in 2015, LWS provides food, shelter and company for the homeless and vulnerable people in the Warwick district.

The shelter is run by volunteers and is open weekly on Fridays and Saturdays from 7.30pm to 10am. The volunteers feed around 40 people and provide a warm place to sleep for up to 20 guests.