Agenda item

To confirm that the properties as listed in Appendix 1 are surplus to the Council’s requirements and recommended for disposal.

Members considered the Proposed Disposal of Property Assets report presented by Councillor Benney.

·         Councillor Boden pointed out that auction is not the only way in which the Council may necessarily be disposing of one or two of these assets. It may be that there are special prices which could be obtained from interested parties which would allow officers, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to get best value by means other than auction but it is key to always get best value.

·         Councillor Hoy said she slightly disagrees with Councillor Boden’s comment regarding best value having noted that the Chapel in Wisbech Cemetery is on the list for disposal. She would be very unhappy for it to be disposed of, and the building then potentially used negatively that would be inappropriate for the setting for example as a nightclub or youth club. She agreed that whilst best value is important, there should be caveats that in certain places thought needs to be given to who is potentially buying it rather than selling it to the highest bidder regardless of what they are going to do. Councillor Boden thanked Councillor Hoy for her helpful comment but said it is worth pointing out that best value does not necessarily mean the greatest amount of money; best value also looks at the context within which a particular decision is made, and her comments will have been noted about the sensitive nature of the site. He is sure that officers and members understand a site such as that is hardly going to be suitable for something like a nightclub.

·         Councillor Benney emphasised that as councillors, they are expected to get best value for money. That rationale could be applied to every site in the report because every person that lives next door does not want it.

·         Councillor Laws agreed that auction is not necessarily the best place to sell land. The Council has a list of developers, and it would be appropriate to advertise these assets on the Council's website first, again with sensitivity. Planning can be a very emotive subject for the people who live nearby and if any items go to auction there should be something that ties it to a development rather than anything like a youth club or nightclub that is going to cause problems for people. 

·         Councillor Boden stated that it is important to look at each asset individually. Generally public auction is the best way for the Council to obtain, and be seen to obtain, a fair price, however when restrictions are placed on the number of individuals who might see something, there is the risk that someone else may miss it and say they would have put in a better offer if only they had known about it. Therefore, public auction should be seen as the default position but is not a guaranteed position on any asset.

·         Councillor Tierney said there is at least one site where there has been a genuine suggestion by an elected member for a nightclub in a graveyard. It was a long time ago but the point being made is that best value does not always mean the most money, but it has been said that just because someone next door does not like it, that is not a reason to. It is more complicated than that; there are certainly places where there are things that should not be done and if the Council sells a property to someone who then does that, then it is partially culpable. Councillor Hoy is merely saying that we should try and avoid doing anything silly with sensitive places and he thinks most people would broadly agree with that.

·         Councillor Boden said what most of these sites, and those previously disposed of, are used for, subject to all normal planning rules, is not something which the Council would want to be restrictive on because the aim is to get the greatest amount of money. However, there will be some exceptions and possibly the chapel cemetery may be one of those rare exceptions where we may wish not to just go for the highest bidder. Even with the changes being made by central government about planning, he has concerns about how easy it would be to get planning permission to get a nightclub in the middle of a cemetery, closed or otherwise. 

·         Councillor Benney said for clarity he did say that disposals would be by public auction or private treaty. Everything has been looked at in a sympathetic light and members’ views have always been taken on board when looking at this.

Proposed by Councillor Benney, seconded by Councillor Boden and AGREED to:

(i)           Approve the list of sites listed at Appendix 1 as surplus and recommended for disposal

(ii)          Determine:

a.    The method and terms of sale either by way of auction, openly marketed private treaty or by special purchaser private treaty, and

b.    The acceptance of an offer to purchase by private treaty or via auction is delegated to the Head of Property, Assets and Major Projects and the Corporate Director (Finance). Where the likely and actual sale price exceeds the existing delegated authority of the officers then the decision will be made in consultation with the Leader of the Council and/or Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth in respect of properties.