Swansea residents were quick to voice concern after council announced intentions to sell the disused building earlier this year, with many fearing an important part of the town’s history would be lost.

The Courthouse Steering Committee was formed not long after, requesting council delay the sale for a year while the committee considered alternative uses for the building.

At its meeting last week, council voted to allow the committee to take management of the state heritage-listed building over a 10-month trial period.

Glamorgan Spring Bay deputy mayor Cheryl Arnol said council had given the committee until June 30 to assess whether turning the building into a community hub was a viable concept. 

“The community has come out fairly strongly in relation to that building being utilised rather than being sold, so council has agreed to allow a group to use it for the next 10 months and just determine whether they can make it workable," Cr Arnol said. 

“The group that decided to approach council - to see if they could operate out of there for a period of time - believe they can prove to council that it is a worthwhile community asset to keep.”

The building, which was officially closed in mid-2014 needing substantial repairs including roofing and flooring replacements, has annual costs of $26,000 when vacant and about $40,000 when in use. 

Cr Arnol recognised the 1860s-circa building represented an important part of the town’s history for many residents.  

“The Swansea community clearly didn't want to lose their old courthouse.

“It's a heritage building and it's been a part of the Swansea scene for more than 100 years and the building itself has a lot of atmosphere.”

Under the new agreement council will continue to pay the building’s running costs until June 30, while the committee will provide a report on any events which take place in the ten-month period.