Four community assets – including Becket's Park Pavilion – ‘surplus to council requirements’

With the authority set to be abolished in April next year, to be replaced by a new unitary West Northamptonshire Council, a number of assets are being transferred over to parish councils and community groups – as well as private owners.

And four more were agreed by the Conservative cabinet when they met on Wednesday (September 9) last week.

The most recognisable of the four assets was the Becket's Park Pavilion. The pavilion was built in the 1920s and was used until recently as a café, but has been closed since 2017.

The proposal for the café is to invite a qualified community organisation to submit a tender and business plan demonstrating ‘credible evidence that they have the financial resources and ability to take control of the café’ and fulfill plans to reopen a community café in the park.

A panel of officers and members will review the applications, and report back to cabinet with a recommendation identifying any preferred organisation and include the outline terms of the transfer

Labour councillor Jane Birch called the proposals a ‘sensible move’, adding: “I’m absolutely delighted that it will remain in community use. It’s a really iconic building that is in quite poor repair at the moment, but forms a really important part of Becket's Park and it has a lot of character.”

The Conservative cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, Councillor Tim Hadland, responded: “Not only is the park important but of course it’s very much on the route between the university campus and the town centre, and so it’s likely to have a more important future as the student population bed in and make it more of a joined-up facility.”

Also agreed by the cabinet was a transfer of land adjacent to the cemetery at Farmclose Road in Wootton. The land is due to be transferred over to Wootton Parish Council, with a covenant being placed on it to ensure it continues to be used as intended for community use. This could include an extension to the existing cemetery.

Grass will be cut under the borough council’s current landscaping contract until June 2028, but other than that the parish council will take on all other responsibilities for the land at completion of the transfer. NBC will retain a right to purchase it back should the parish council no longer require it under the permitted use.

The third disposal was for land at Blackthorn Bridge Court, with the cabinet agreeing to sell the land by private treaty to the Blackthorn pharmacy operator at market value.

Councillor Hadland said: “The pharmacy is at the moment in the adjoining shop and this is a proposal to create a new pharmacy on land adjoining the shop, which would be a much better facility for the people of Blackthorn.”

The fourth and final agreement was to sell land by private treaty to the owner of a property at 11a Eastfield Road.

The owner of 11a Eastfield Road was granted planning permission in January 2019 for a two-storey rear extension and the change of use of highway verge to form private parking spaces.

Councillor Hadland said: “There is a part of a road verge in Eastfield Road which forms part of an extension to a house. The parking area there is actually on council land and the proposal is to tidy that up and dispose of it to the house owner.”

The four transfers will be subject to advertisement to allow members of the public opportunity to comment. Should anyone object to any of the proposals, the recommendation would be referred back to the cabinet.