East Cambridgeshire District Council has agreed to sell Littleport Town Council two buildings, a car park, and an area of open space.

The Barn in Main Street, Littleport, is one of the four assets proposed to be sold by East Cambridgeshire District Council to Littleport Town Council.(Image: Google)

Two buildings, a car park, and an area of open space in Littleport are due to be sold for £1 each in a bid to ‘keep them in the hands of the community’. Councillors at East Cambridgeshire District Council agreed to sell the assets to Littleport Town Council after concerns were raised that they could be ‘sold off to the highest bidder’, when the authority is replaced by a new unitary council.

Under plans for local government reorganisation the district council will cease to exist in 2028, with a new unitary council taking over the authority’s responsibilities, and buildings it owns.

A report presented to a finance and assets committee meeting this week (November 27) set out the four assets due to be transferred to the town council. These include The Barn, in Main Street, which is currently leased to the town council and used by the organisation as its offices.

The proposal was put forward to sell the building for £1, with restrictions placed on the future use of the building to make sure it continued to be used for the community. The public toilets in Main Street are also proposed to be sold for £1, with a payment also made by the district council of £20,829, the equivalent of one year’s running cost.

Restrictions are also due to be placed on the transfer to make sure it continues to be used as public toilets, “or such other community use as deemed appropriate in future years”.

The car park in Main Street owned by the district council is also proposed to be sold for £1 to the town council, with a restriction placed on it to prevent car parking charges being introduced.

The fourth asset proposed to be sold to the town council for £1 is an area of open space in Parsons Lane. The report said this area is “of strategic importance for the future potential to expand St Georges Medical Practice”.

A restriction on the transfer is also proposed to ensure the land is either used for the expansion of the medical practice, or otherwise remains “as public open space in perpetuity”. The report added that in all four cases the town council had agreed to a restriction that it would not sell the land or assets for residential or commercial purposes.

The district council said it would transfer the car park to the town council if it agrees to keep parking free.(Image: Google)

Councillor David Miller (Conservative) asked if an amendment could be made to add that the car park can’t be used for any other purpose, which was agreed by the committee.

Cllr Miller said he supported the sale of the assets to the town council as he said there is a risk they could be “disposed of” by whatever unitary council takes over from the district council after local government reorganisation.

He said: “Granting this request seems the best way of ensuring the assets remain where they belong, in the hands of Littleport Town Council for its community.”

Councillor Anna Bailey (Conservative), leader of the district council, said the town council had “huge ambitions” for Littleport and were already delivering on them. She said the town council is a “really safe pair of hands” to leave the facilities in.

Councillor John Trapp (Liberal Democrat) said there is a “great unknown” as to what would happen in a few years time after local government reorganisation, and said he believed it was a “great idea for local people to look after these assets”. Councillor Christine Colbert (Liberal Democrat) said she had some concerns about the move.

She said she was “absolutely in favour of town councils taking over buildings that have historically been theirs”, but said she had “reservations” about town councils taking over buildings the district council had paid for, and questioned whether this was fair for the rest of the district.

Councillor Julie Huffer (Conservative) said she appreciated Cllr Colbert’s point, but said she would “rather see the assets in the hands of people in the area”, than “ending up in the hands of a unitary that could sell them off to the highest bidder”. The committee ultimately agreed to support the sale of the sites to the town council.

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