Assets of Community Value
The Town Council’s applications to have Bingley Town Hall, Myrtle Park and Bingley Swimming Pool registered as Assets of Community Value were approved last night by councillors of Bradford Council’s Shipley Area Committee.
The Localism Act of 2011 gave a new power to local communities to protect buildings and open spaces they value. Communities can ask their local district council to list certain assets as being of value to the community.
If an asset is listed, the owner – in this case Bradford Council itself – must inform Bingley Town Council if they wish to sell it. The Town Council then has six weeks to register an interest in bidding for the property and a further six months in which to prepare and submit a bid. This does not mean that the Town Council has first right of refusal, or that the asset will be sold at a discount, but the six month moratorium on the sale means more time to prepare a bid and therefore a greater likelihood that a purchase can be made, thus saving the asset for the local community.
The Shipley Area Committee will now produce a report which will go to the Council's Executive for consideration.
Picture below: Bingley town centre floral display
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Flower magic in Bingley
Bingley’s village societies and other local volunteer groups have now planted out the begonias, geraniums, dahlias and marigolds purchased by the Town Council from Bradford Council.
Cottingley volunteers, Crossflatts, Gilstead and Micklethwaite village societies, Friends of Prince of Wales Park and the Myrtle Park group are all using the plants to enhance their displays in their own corners of the parish, and the Bingley Bloomers, from Bingley Five Rise Frocks WI, are taking care of the planters at the front of the market area.
In addition, Carlton Nurseries of Cottingley have put in place 35 pole-mounted baskets, 9 barrier baskets, 3 tubs and 1 tiered planter in Bingley town centre, as well as some planting by the tree outside the Arts Centre. We hope to propose similar plans for our outlying villages in future years.
A formal application has now been made to adopt both Bingley and Crossflatts stations through the Northern Rail station adoption scheme, and it is hoped that some small-scale summer planting can be done to make an immediate impact on both sites. A working group has been set up to work on a planned programme to enhance both stations; please email enquiries@bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk if you would like to get involved!
Picture below: Bingley town centre floral display
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Neighbourhood Plan
The public meeting held at Cardigan House on 30th May attracted an enthusiastic group of residents who were unanimous in their agreement that Bingley should develop its own Neighbourhood Plan.
A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led plan that becomes a statutory document and forms part of the local development plan for the area. It contains a vision, a set of aims and a list of policies, and guides the further development, regeneration and conservation of an area.
There are considerable advantages to a community having a neighbourhood plan. It will give us the opportunity to say what type of development (commercial and housing) we want and where it should be sited. It will also entitle us to 25% of any Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) on new development.
At its meeting on 27th June, the Town Council agreed formally to develop a plan, to cover the whole of the parished area. An application will shortly be submitted to Bradford Council to set the formal process in motion, and the project will be led by the Council’s Planning Committee under its chair Mark Truelove. Whilst the Town Council is willing to take the lead on this potentially complex piece of work, we will need the involvement of a number of residents willing to make a commitment and share their skills and expertise. Please email enquiries@bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk if you can help.
Picture below: Myrtle Park, subject of an application for registration as an Asset of Community Value
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Next Town Council meeting
The next meeting of the Town Council is at 6.30pm on Tuesday 25 July 25 at Bingley Scout Hut, Sycamore Avenue, Bingley. Councillors will be available from 5.45-6.15pm for an informal surgery.
You can see all our meeting dates in the calendar of the Events section of our website, and a full listing is available as a separate document, updated weekly, in the Documents section of the site.
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Please do forward this email to anyone you think will be interested, and encourage them to sign up for future mailings on our website at www.bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk
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With best wishes,
Bingley Town Council
Cottingley Cornerstone, Littlelands, Cottingley, Bingley, BD16 1AL
http://www.bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk
Town Clerk tel: 07703 188660 / townclerk@bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk
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