The campaign to transform Reading Gaol into a cultural centre has taken a step forward with a new bid by Reading Borough Council to buy the historic building from the Ministry of Justice.
The Grade II-listed prison, where Oscar Wilde was held and wrote his poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol, has been disused since 2013. Last year it was put up for sale to the highest bidder and the local authority's bid was rejected in favour of a property developer.
The deal fell through when the developer pulled out in November, and the prison went back on the market. The council hopes its new bid will be strong enough to buy the site and transform it into an arts complex.
If successful, they will seek a private sector partner to be involved in the regeneration of the building.
The bid to save the gaol has been given a boost by the sudden appearance on the wall last week of a Banksy painting of an escaping prisoner, which is being interpreted as an endorsement of proposals for the use of the building as a cultural centre.