Community Right to Bid – Vale Allotments

As many of you will be aware, the Vale Allotments site, off Moody Street, Congleton,  was recently nominated as an asset of community value under Community Right to Bid arrangements. You may also know that the Council agreed that it should be registered as such.

What this means is that the landowners must let the council know if they intend to dispose of the asset, and the council in turn, should alert the nominating organisation, the relevant town or parish council and other community groups of this. At that point an initial six-week moratorium is triggered, during which the owner cannot dispose of the asset. This is to allow community groups to consider whether they may wish to bid. If any do, they must write to the council informing them they intend to bid. At that point an additional six-month moratorium is triggered. Again, the owner cannot dispose of the asset during that period.

When the six month period expires, the owner is free to sell the asst to anyone they choose – there’s no obligation to sell to the nominated body or any other community group.

All the right does then, in essence, is buy community groups some time to get a bid prepared.

The landowners have stated that they intend to dispose of the asset. The initial six-week moratorium has therefore been triggered. The nominating body, and any other community groups, therefore have until 4^th December to inform the Council in writing as to whether or not they intend to bid. If no group comes forward, the owner will be able to dispose of the asset after 4^th December.