That the period for the community to come up with a suitable proposal and bid for the Echo Building to ensure continued community use, under the Council’s Asset of Community Value Policy, be extended by three months.

To enable the Council to continue negotiations with the community with a view to bringing back detailed proposals to the Cabinet and Council within three months of this decision.  This proposal is intended to ensure that all possible effort is made to work with the community to ensure that the building is retained for community use before any decision to dispose of the asset on the open market is implemented.

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This decision will come into force and may be implemented on Monday, 5 August 2019 unless the call-in procedure is triggered (as set out in Standing Orders in relation to Overview and Scrutiny).

On 19 December 2018, the Elected Mayor agreed to register the Echo Building as an ‘Asset of Community Value’.  He subsequently took a decision on 2 January 2019, to dispose of the freehold interest in the Echo Building, St James Road, Torquay, TQ1 4AZ, subject to the application of the Asset of Community Value Policy.  This second decision was called in and the Overview and Scrutiny Board resolved:

“that the decision be referred back to the Elected Mayor with a recommendation that a 12 month period be allowed for the community to develop a proposal for the future use of the Echo Building, with a draft business plan to be presented to the Council within six months.”

The Elected Mayor reconfirmed his original decision for the following reasons:

“The Council’s Asset of Community Value Policy gives the community six months to come up with a suitable proposal and bid for the Echo Building and should this not occur it will be a matter for the Administration to consider following the local government elections in May 2019 and to determine what action they wish to take.”

The period for the community to come up with a suitable proposal and bid is nearly up.  The Council has received a bid from the community for the Echo Building but further negotiations and due diligence is required before officers are in a position to be able to recommend acceptance or rejection of the bid.  It is therefore proposed to extend the period for the community to bid for the building by three months in order for further negotiations and due diligence to take place.  The outcome of this work will be submitted to the Cabinet within three months of this Cabinet meeting.

Councillor Long proposed and Councillor Stockman seconded a motion which was agreed unanimously by the Cabinet as set out above.

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