Issue - meetings

To consider the principle of the disposal of the playing fields at Riverview, Lawford to Lawford Parish Council.

That Cabinet approves, in principle, the disposal of the playing fields at Riverview, Lawford to Lawford Parish Council subject to the decision as to the terms of the disposal to be taken later in the meeting following the exclusion of the press and public.        

Councillor G V Guglielmi had earlier in the meeting declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to this item.

There was submitted a report by the Leader of the Council (Report A.4), which sought Cabinet’s agreement, in principle, to the disposal of the playing fields at Riverview, Lawford to Lawford Parish Council.

It was reported that Lawford Parish Council currently had a lease for the Riverview playing fields which had started in 1992 and had passed its contractual end date in August 2013. Since 2013 the lease had continued in force under the provisions of Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.

Cabinet was informed that terms for the renewal of the lease had been proposed but after initial acceptance the Parish Council had subsequently declined to accept the proposed increase in rent. The Parish Council had instead applied for the transfer of the freehold of the land under the Council’s Community Asset Transfer Policy to enable them to have certainty going forward and to apply for grant funding. This had been rejected by Tendring District Council as Officers did not consider that the proposal was strong enough to warrant the transfer of the freehold.

Members were advised that the Parish Council had now offered to purchase the land for a cash consideration. In addition to the land that the Parish Council currently rented they would also be purchasing the land which Essex County Council (ECC) rented from TDC. This was because the land currently rented to ECC for school playing fields was effectively land locked by the section of land rented by the Parish Council. If the Parish Council did not buy all of the land then TDC would have no access to land that it owned thereby devaluing that area. The lease to ECC would remain in place and the use of the area would not change.

Having considered the information provided:-

It was moved by Councillor Stock, seconded by Councillor Watling and:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet approves, in principle, the disposal of the playing fields at Riverview, Lawford to Lawford Parish Council subject to the decision as to the terms of the disposal to be taken later in the meeting following the exclusion of the press and public.