The May launch of this document by the Department of Communities and Local Government gives strong backing to the concept of transferring under-utilized public buildings to community organizations able to revamp them and manage them as viable assets for local people to use. Indeed the government accepts that it has already been done successfully in many places and that there are no legal or financial reasons why it should not happen a lot more often.
Through the document the government announced three pilot schemes to help communities already considering the transfer of specific buildings. These are:
A series of regional workshops from September 2007 to March 2008 targeted separately at community organisations and local authorities to consider the practical and financial implications of asset transfer
A demonstration programme from June 2007 to March 2008 to support twenty local authority-community sector partnerships in pursuing asset transfer projects
A £30 million Community Asset Fund that will be managed by the Big Lottery Fund from autumn 2007 and is likely to be able to be spent on developing innovative case studies and paying towards refurbishment costs.
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AMT is keen to hear from regions or sub-regions interesting in setting-up market towns asset development programmes that will help rural areas link in with this important government policy area. AMT has previous experience of running and assisting with such schemes in the East in two regions.
CLICK HERE for details of the Market Towns Asset development Programme Evaluation
AMT Partnership proposal
AMT is interested in partnering a local council and community partnership in jointly developing an asset in a market town within central England.
Click here for a pdf brochure
To discuss any of these points, contact AMT’s Chief Executive at chris.wade@towns.org.uk or 0845 6446202 |
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