Community interest groups are invited to express an interest in three Thanet council properties which are to be sold off.
Foresters’ Hall in Ramsgate, the café and toilets at the Western Undercliff and Westgate Pavilion are all listed as assets of community value.
The listing means the council is obliged to give the community the opportunity of submitting a bid to buy the properties. Each will be sold at full market value.
Foresters’ Hall is used by charities East Kent Mencap and Headway and is Grade II listed.
The plan to sell it at market value with first refusal given to the Trustees of East Kent Mencap was approved last month (November).
TDC says the building must be sold as it is falling into disrepair and will need at least £455,145 spent to bring it back to a reasonable condition.
TDC does not have the money to carry out the work.
The café and toilets at the Western Undercliff have been shut since the property was severely damaged in October 2014 as the result of the failure of the main Southern Water sewer. Following the clearance of contaminated waste from the site it was found that the foundation slab of the property had been fractured, damaging the structure of the building.
Thanet council agreed to the sale of the property at a meeting in July.
A petition urging the reinstatement of toilet facilities at the site is due to be presented to a meeting of full council tonight (December 7).
The Westgate Pavilion was registered as an asset of community value in August.
Expressions of interest can be made between December 11 and January 22,2018.
During this period community groups can request in writing to be treated as a potential bidder. An accepted request would mean deferral of sale on the open market until June 10, 2018 by which date the sale will need to be completed to the eligible group. If it is not, then the property will go on the open market.
Written requests must be sent to The Head of Asset Management, Thanet District Council, Cecil Square Offices, Margate, CT9 1XZ or email [email protected]