What happens if, having sold the Village Hall, the Old school restoration doesn't proceed?
Clearly, if the Village Hall was sold, it couldn't subsequently be re-purchased if the Old School refurbishment didn't materialise and the site then was sold on the open market, thus leaving the Parish Council without a community building at all. This is, however, unlikely in that the sale of the Village Hall would provide funds for both the purchase and refurbishment of the School.
Isn't car parking at the old school a problem?
A narrow strip (about 3 metres) of the Stafford Orchard adjacent to the school would be used to facilitate access to the playground area at the rear of the school which has parking space for about 15 - 20 vehicles. Additional parking might also be created on the presently grassed enclave to the rear of the school playground.
Why isn't there one vote per elector rather than one vote per household?
Only 43% of the electorate in the parish have opted to appear on the published version of the electoral register. We are not allowed to use the unpublished register so the vote would have been very unrepresentative.
Why is LCC going to charge £300,000? Why isn’t it being transferred for £1?
It is a decision for the county council on the value they attach to the asset. The Quirk review on the community use of assets suggested that when an asset is transferred within local authorities, there needs to be wider recognition of the continued social benefits for the community in using the asset. So it is up to the authority which is making the transfer to consider this when it looks at a transfer at less than market value. Leicestershire County Council have stated this transfer price is less than market value.
The press release which mentioned assets for £1 was referring to the Community Asset Transfer Fund. This is not for the purchase of the asset. It is intended to assist with refurbishment. Even then the asset must be held by a third party ie not a council body, but a charitable or voluntary group acting in partnership with the local council. So we will not get funds from this source.
How much is this going to cost me in council tax?
If we raise the money by a surcharge on the precept (Council Tax) the cost for each of the next two years will be approximately:
Band A: £48
Band B: £56
Band C: £64
Band D: £71
Band E: £87
Band F: £103
Band G: £119
Band H: £143
Why can’t we get money from the lottery - or anywhere else?
Options 1 and 2 on the voting form are the only ones guaranteed to save the old school, because the issue is not simply one of financial alternatives - time is the problem. There isn't another certain way of raising the money in such a short time. And as a local authority, we cannot legally sign a contract without being satisfied that we have, or have made provision for, the resources to guarantee payment.
If we can't find a cast-iron way of financing this purchase within a few weeks, the LCC will put the site on the open market in February, and the opportunity will have gone for ever. If we can buy it, then there will at least be a breathing space when all the interested parties can plan a campaign to raise the money needed for repair and refurbishment.
The timescale for the purchase means we cannot get a bid in to the lottery or any other major funding body. We do have experience of getting lottery funds as we are currently working with the Heritage Lottery fund on a bid to improve Stafford Orchard park. We expect to try to gain funding from sources such as the lottery to help with refurbishment costs if there is a decision to buy the old school. And we don’t have a philanthropic donor!
Do you plan on holding a debate?
A public meeting was held when the LCC first raised plans to sell the old school. That meeting, and the consequent opinions canvassed by STOPS, confirmed a strong desire in the village to save the Old School for community use.
Now we know the costs of the purchase, we are consulting the village and inviting all households to vote on the options - including whether or not we proceed with the purchase. This seems sensible.
What are STOPS doing?
STOPS are the campaign to Save The Old Primary School. We have discussed the consultation with them and they have endorsed the consultation documents. We expect they will be canvassing for support for the purchase of the school, and we know they will be active in campaigning to raise funds for its refurbishment.
How are you going to meet the refurbishment costs?
We expect to meet the costs of refurbishment in a number of ways, depending on the option we choose for purchase. Some of these will involve groups like STOPS and other voluntary groups in the village - others will approach funding sources for grants etc.
What are you going to use the building for?
When we canvassed the village there were a large number of suggestions. These ranged from performance, rehearsal and storage space for amateur dramatic groups; to extra facilities for the park such as improved toilets, meeting rooms, a cafe, centres for voluntary organisations such as the CAB, improved youth facilities, and a local arts centre, library and museum. If the purchase goes ahead, we will draw up outline plans and take them to the village. This is exactly how we developed the parks plan for Stafford Orchard. It gave the whole village a voice. We would want to do this for the development of the old school as well.
Why don’t you just make the decision?
This is a large amount of money for a village - even one the size of Quorn. It is right and proper that we consult before we make a decision.
How can you contemplate selling the village hall?
There is no doubt that the decision on how to fund the purchase is a difficult one. Opinion across the village is divided. The Council is not saying this is the only option. We are simply asking as part of the consultation whether the village would be willing to sell the Hall to fund the purchase of the old school. The two options - the precept and the sale of the hall - each have advantages and costs. We are simply setting these out and asking for opinions before the Council makes a decision.
What's the advantage of selling a perfectly adequate village hall for a derelict building?
The village Hall provides one sort of accommodation: the old school would provide different accommodation. For example, the old school would give more rooms and meeting capacity. The Village Hall may give more performance space.
The Village Hall does need some remedial work to bring it up to legal requirements, so it is not without costs. But clearly, these costs are not as much as the cost of refurbishing the old school.
In summary, the two buildings both have merits and are difficult to compare. It is true that we would have to manage any transition carefully if we sold the Village Hall to make sure our users were not disadvantaged - and we do accept that this will need careful planning.
Aren't you just opening up a bottomless pit for the council?
We do expect the costs of refurbishment to be spread over time and we do expect to approach several funding sources. If we decide that we cannot find these funds, and that the old school refurbishment is becoming a drain on the parish, we could decide to release the building. The LCC offer envisages two options here - we pass the asset on for community use - say to a charitable trust - or we sell on the open market. If we do the latter, we would recoup our costs.
Who have you informed about this?
We have clearly been discussing the offer with Leicestershire County Council, and in particular, their planning department. We have also written to Andy Reed, and issued a Press Release to the local papers and radio stations to encourage debate and voting.
The park is already being vandalised. Who’s to say this wont be as well?
We are working with police and community police officers over the regrettable recent acts of vandalism. We hope that this spate will cease and that the revitalised park and old school will support activities and interests that deflect bored activity in to more useful channels.
With the building regularly occupied, vandalism of it, and the park next door, are less likely.
Will the old school be demolished?
If it's bought by developers, the Parish Council would oppose any planning application that suggested the demolition of the old school. Any development would need to be in keeping with the historic heart of the village. Having said that, it is likely that elements of the building might change substantially. A comparison might be the current development of the Epworth Halls on High St and its grounds.
Why are councillors supporting different options?
The Parish Council as a body are behind the move to restore the old school for community use. They recently voted unanimously to save it. But as with any major issue of this kind, there are differing ideas on how to do it. This is one reason why we are asking the village what it thinks.
You’re not very united, are you?
We are united in our desire to save the old school. There are two options to do this. Once a decision is made, the council will work with the decision.
The Old School -
Questions and Answers
