Listing assets of community value in East Dulwich

[gardenfairy]

I wondered if people are aware of the Community Right to Bid? This is a newish piece of legislation that allows communities to nominate assets of community value, via their local council. Once an asset is listed if it comes up for sale a six month moratorium is triggered. This gives the community the time to raise the finance to buy it, so it can remain in community use. This was how the IvyHouse in Nunhead successfully became a community pub - the first in England to use the legislation in this way. The 'asset' can be a building or piece of land, and can be owned by anyone.

I've had a look on Southwark Council's website and there are only four assets of community value listed - Champion Hill Stadium is the most recent. There must be lots of other assets of community value in East Dulwich which it would be good to list (East Dulwich Community Centre, East Dulwich Leisure Centre, various pubs, the cafe in Peckham Rye, Goose Green playground, and I imagine Peckham Rye Park itself....).

There's a form on the council website - and you need 21 people on the electoral register to list something.

What assets do people think should be nominated in East Dulwich? It ought to be fairly easy to co-ordinate 21 signatures...

[rgutsell]

The unused land beside Dulwich Hospital.

RGutsell

[Chick Pea]

Good idea gardenfairy - the library, the Picture Gallery and any piece of undeveloped land.

[Marmora Man]

It is likely GF, that if your ambition to freeze all developments in East Dulwich until the "community" has considered whether to raise funds to buy out a potential developer, will have two or three perverse effects.

1. It could reduce the likelihood of investment in the area

2. It could make every member of the community bankrupt - as I doubt it would bear the cost of more than one such community asset

3. It could engender a massive outburst of apathy and be totally ignored.

[Jeremy]

Say the counci, for whatever reason, decided to sell the leisure centre, or part of one of the parks. Would the community really be capable of raising the many millions of pounds these would be worth? It's a far cry from a few hundred shareholders putting in a couple of hundred quid each.