ACV – Asset of Community Value.
Being a member of The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for more than 20 years, I was really delighted to be invited to the ‘Monti’, the Montefiore Arms pub in Trinity Place, Ramsgate. It’s just been registered as a community assist.
What does that mean?
Well The Localism Act 2011 introduced an important new power for local communities to protect buildings and open spaces they value. This Community Right to Bid came into effect on 21 September 2012. This is relevant to all civic societies and community groups.
The right means communities can ask Thanet District Council to list certain assets as being of value to the community. If an asset is listed and then comes up for sale, the new right will give communities that want it 6 months to put together a bid to buy it. This gives communities an increased chance to save much loved shops, pubs or other local facilities.
Individuals and groups can nominate building or land. It’s a great idea. It allows communities to stop assests being stripped out and sold. Also it potentially stops the march of the bigger chains. It can help to prevent valuable community spaces from being ‘hollowed out’.
A building or can be listed as an asset of community value if:
- current primary use of the building/land or use of the building/land in the recent past furthers the social well-being or social interests (cultural, recreational, or sporting interests) of the local community
- it is realistic to think that now or in the next five years there could continue to be primary use of the building/land which will further the social well-being or social interests of the local community (whether or not in the same way as before)
Owners of listed assets cannot dispose of them without:
- letting the local authority know that they intend to sell the asset or grant a lease of more than 25 years
- waiting until the end of a six week ‘interim moratorium’ period if the local authority does not receive a request from a community interest group to be treated as a potential bidder
- waiting until the end of a six month ‘full moratorium’ period if the local authority does receive a request from a community interest group to be treated as a potential bidder.
List your Local
If you love your local pub and want to protect it from demolition or change of use, make sure to list it with your local Council as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). You can nominate as a CAMRA Branch, as an informal group of 21 local people or as a Parish Council. So far, CAMRA have managed to list over 1600 pubs.
I’ve got to admit – the Hophead and Gadd’s No7 were good, chatting with Peter the barman wasn’t bad, but sitting in a convivial listed community asset talking all things Ramsgate was unbeatable.
For more information on the ACV campaign go to CAMRA‘s website
