What does listing a site as an asset of community value do?
Listing a site as an asset of community value places some restrictions on what the landowner can do with the site if they want to sell it.
Listing a site means that:
- If the owners decide to sell it, they must notify the council.
- After we receive notice from the owners, a six-week restricted period is triggered. During this period, the owners can’t sell the site, unless it is to one of the categories of community group set out in the legislation. We will advertise the intended sale and contact interested parties to see whether a community group is interested in buying the site.
- If we receive interest from a community group, this will trigger a full six-month restricted period during which the owners cannot sell the site, unless it is to a community group. (The six months dates from when we first received notice from the owners of the intended sale.) This is intended to allow time for local groups to raise funds and put in an offer to the owners.
- After the six-month period has expired, the owners are free to sell the site to whoever they choose, and no further restrictions will apply for 18 months (again running from the date we received notice that the owners intended to sell).
What can’t be achieved by listing a site as an asset of community value?
If a site is listed as an asset of community value:
- The owners can’t be forced to keep the site open and available to the public.
- The owners can’t be forced to sell the site.
- If the owners do decide to sell the site, they can’t be forced to sell it to a community group. The restricted period is intended to give groups time to raise funds and negotiate with the owners, but the owners may decide to wait until the restricted period has ended.
- The owners can still put in a planning application to redevelop the site. Decisions on development are made through the planning process; this is a different process from the process for assessing sites as assets of community value.