What are “community assets” and what is the “right to bid”?
Community assets, in the broadest sense, are buildings and pieces of land that are an essential part of the social fabric of the area.
The Community Right to Bid aims to keep valued land and buildings in community use by giving local people the chance to bid to buy them if and when they come onto the market.
The council must maintain and publish two lists:
- A list of Assets of Community Value
- A list of Assets not of a Community Value (unsuccessful nominations).
These two lists are available for download as an Excel spreadsheet below.
Guidance and Procedure
Download the guidance and nomination form.
Read the guidance but still need help? Please email democracy@burnley.gov.uk
Who can nominate
Only voluntary and community organisations with a local connection based in the borough of Burnley or a neighbouring authority can nominate an asset for inclusion in the list. The bodies able to nominate are:-
- Neighbourhood/residents’ groups
- Parish councils or Padiham Town Council
- Unincorporated bodies of 21 named members
- A charity
- Company Limited by Guarantee
- Industrial or Provident Society
- Community Interest Company
Making a nomination
Nominations to list an asset must be made in writing – see downloads.
The council takes the view that any nominating body is able to undertake a search at the Land Registry in order to identify the legal owners of the asset. The council would expect any costs arising from the search to be borne by the nominee. The council would also expect the results of such a search to be included with any nomination in order to fulfil the requirement to identify the freehold or leasehold owner.
What happens next?
Details about the procedure, including how a decision is made, what happens if an asset is put up for sale, and any appeals are outlined in the guidance documents.
