Assets of Community Value

In neighbourhoods across the country, there are buildings and amenities that are important to the communities that use them. This could include a village shop, a post office, a pub, a community centre, a recreation ground or a library.

The closure or sale of these places can create lasting damage to communities. Under the Localism Act, voluntary and community organisations can nominate an asset to be included on a list of ‘Assets of Community Value’.

If the asset comes up for sale, parish councils or community groups with a local connection will then be given a fair chance to make a bid to buy it on the open market.

As well as emailing us with evidence, you will be able to include some evidence on your application form.

When nominating we'll ask for detailed information and evidence about:

the asset
it's location including boundaries
it's current ownership
the community group you represent

You should include evidence and information on:

the type of activity carried out at the property and any policies of the organised activity
number of people using the activity and proportion of local community making use of the property
information on any community consultation in relation to the nomination
supporting evidence from any consultation including ward members, local stakeholders
equalities impact, accessibility and inclusive information, how does the facility meet these needs
how the community services are referred to in council policy such as the local plan, cultural and community policies
the impact on the local community if the asset closes
tenancy information including leases and licences
your community organisation's business plans that show the asset as being required
financial information showing the community use is viable and will continue to be viable with continued use of the asset
future booking information

Apply

You can nominate an Asset of Community Value online.

Nominate an asset

Considering your application

Once a nomination is submitted, we will notify:

the owner, leaseholder and or any other occupiers with an interest in the property
Councillors in the ward
other users of the property or land, including as community groups that hire the property

We may ask for further information from the nominator and the owners, and will notify both parties once we have made a decision via a Decision Notification Letter. We will then update the list published online and register a charge on the property with local land charges if the nomination is approved.

A decision is usually made within 8 weeks.

Timescales

Complex property transactions like these involve:

community consultation
obtaining professional advice from valuers and solicitors
negotiation between the parties
our own internal governance and approval processes

Each request is treated on an individual basis, and we will try to process applications within nine months, but sometimes it's more complicated and needs extra work. We will regularly update all applicants on progress.

Appeal

Nominator

The nominator can provide additional information for us to consider, but we won't accept repeated nominations because it was rejected.

Owner

The owner can send a request to lodge a review of our decision within 8 weeks of the written notification of listing by contacting us.

We will then provide the owner with advice on the review process.

Once complete, we will include the outcome of the review and the reasons for the decision made:

if the review finds in favour of the asset owner then the asset is removed from the list
if the review finds in favour of the original listing decision then the owner has the option to take their appeal to First Tier Tribunal

We will complete the review within 6 weeks of receiving the request, or longer if both parties agree.

Last updated 08 July 2024

→

Next
Assets of Community Value register

Assets of Community Value

Contents