building communities…

a quick overview for getting your

hands on a community asset

Diana MooreSW Regional Development Manager

Development Trusts Association

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Stop now!

Consider your purpose - what do you need an asset for?

How will you use it to help you achieve your goal AND earn you an income?

Make your project….viable not liable!

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Ways and means…meanwhile use...

Generating creativity and enterprise from empty spaces and places, the Meanwhile Project works with landlords, agents, potential occupiers and local authorities to enable uses that benefit the community while something else is waiting to happen.

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Is there another way? transfer it!

► Asset transfer: transfer of freehold by sale (at or less than market value) or by leasehold under-utilised public property to benefit the community

► Quirk review “optimising the use of public assets is not the primary objective: the over-riding goal is community empowerment”.

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Really? How?

1. Check our the asset transfer unit’s website www.atu.org.uk

2. speak to your local authority about the property and your project - practical and policy issues

3. Have a robust plan for your work and the building!

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Why are they doing this?

Policy Impetus

Declining asset stock & ever-diminishing maintenance budget

Local Need / Ambition / Creativity Community Asset Transfer – how-to)

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But we don’t want to own it…

► Town & Village Greens: There are about 3650 registered greens in England and about 220 in Wales covering about 8150 and 620 acres (33 and 2.5 km²) respectively. (Open spaces society)

► Common land: opportunity to re-register it under Commons Act 2006.

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The future… community right to buy?

► “24 November 2009: In a party political broadcast last week David Cameron, Conservative party leader, promised to introduce a “community right to buy” to help community organisations take over and run assets in their community - saying communities should have “the first right of refusal” to acquire buildings from the public and private sector to be run for the community on a not for profit basis”.

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Where to go for info, tools and more...

www.dta.org.uk

http://www.dta.org.uk/activities/campaigns/ communityassets/housing/housingguide

www.atu.org.uk

http://www.buildingcommunity.org.uk/

www.meanwhile.org.uk & http://meanwhilespace.ning.com

http://www.oss.org.uk/village-greens/