Brockhall – Asset Of Community Value Application
Brockhall – An Asset of Community Value
June 3, 2017
Brockhall is an important asset for Blackburn Rovers Football Club. The Senior Training Ground and Academy are part of the legacy Jack Walker wanted the club and its supporters to enjoy and benefit from for very many years. The Rovers Trust is applying for Asset of Community Value (ACV) status over Brockhall. We need your help and support in putting together a successful application.
The Asset of Community Value concept was introduced by the Localism Act 2011. The test is that the property ‘is in a current use that furthers the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community.’
The principal effect of listing is a moratorium (i.e. a period of delay) on the disposal of the land by the owners. It aims to prevent the sale of socially important assets without notice and without giving any community interest group the opportunity to be treated as a potential bidder. The six-month moratorium would allow any community group a more realistic timeframe for raising funds and bring community and political influence to bear on any potential sale.
It is important to note the limitations of this protection. It grants a right to bid and not a right to buy. At the end of the moratorium the owners can sell to whomever they want at whatever price they want.
The Rovers Trust was successful in getting an ACV over Ewood Park in 2013, which continues to this day and is renewed by the Trust when necessary. We worked with Blackburn with Darwen Council on this.
Brockhall is in the Ribble Valley and we will be working with Ribble Valley Borough Council on the application and for a different type of asset. The social wellbeing and community interest aspect of a football stadium is perhaps more obvious than for a training ground & academy, but we feel that we have arguments that satisfy the legal test. They areThat Blackburn Rovers FC is a hugely important social, cultural and sporting institution to the Ribble Valley community and that Brockhall is an integral part of that institution. We can put together a strong dossier on the successes of the academy and the crucial role it can play in the club’s current parlous financial state.
We would like to hear, especially from Ribble Valley residents, on the deep connections between the club and the Ribble Valley.
That Brockhall is used directly as an asset of community value.
Again, we would really like to hear from you with examples such as visits to the training ground, watching academy matches, open days and charity events – anything involving and engaging with the public.
Please help us to protect the assets of our club by sending anything (from personal anecdotes, hard data or links to further sources) that could strengthen the evidence base for these arguments to michael.doherty@roverstrust.co.uk
