A Nantwich mum is driving a major campaign to save a community asset in the town from being auctioned off.
Sam James has stepped forward to try and save Brookfield Hall which Cheshire East Council are looking to sell off later this month for £150,000.
If it falls into private hands, the hall could be bulldozed to make way for housing, which Ms James says would be a big loss to the town.
The auction was due to take place on June 25, but has now been brought forward with the sale scheduled for June 22-23.
Ms James, a health sector worker, has set up a website and is urging people to register on it to strengthen the campaign to pause the auction and save the hall.
Nantwich Town Council used to stage their meetings in the hall but they ended their lease of the building in March this year.
Ms James, of Hospital Street, is set to appear before the town council tomorrow (June 11th) to seek their support to save the hall.
She said: “We believe the community deserves a fair chance to explore an alternative.
“It could become somewhere where people of all ages feel they belong.
“Brookfield Hall could become a warm, welcoming and creative community space at the heart of Nantwich.
“A place to meet people, learn new skills, be creative, share food, support wellbeing, reduce isolation and build a community together.”
She wants other residents to support the campaign informally by signing up to support nominating the building as an “Asset of Community Value”.
She is also hoping others will help with the campaign itself, or potentially support a future community organisation that could take ownership and run the building long-term.
“It feels like there’s a small window to see whether there’s enough local support to make a credible case for pausing the sale and exploring community options properly,” she added.
In a letter to local councillors and the authority, she wrote: “Brookfield Hall is a valued local community space with significant potential to continue serving residents, local groups and wider community activity within Nantwich.
“We were therefore very concerned to see the property moved to auction with a very limited timeframe between the sale becoming public and the auction date itself.
“We fully understand the financial and operational pressures facing local authorities, and this letter is not intended as opposition to change, regeneration or a sale by Cheshire East Council.
“We are asking for your support in calling for the auction process to be paused temporarily, to allow time for community ownership and partnership options to be properly explored before the building is potentially lost from community use
permanently.”
She has called for the auction of the property to be “paused” to allow time for community-led alternatives, including community ownership options, to be properly explored.
She added: “Cheshire East Council’s own Community Asset Transfer Policy states that the council supports the transfer of assets to voluntary organisations and community bodies where this can improve the use of council assets for the benefit of local residents.
“The policy also recognises the importance of supporting resilient communities, enabling greater local control over community spaces, and making best use of council assets for wider public benefit.
“Given Brookfield Hall’s historic and potential ongoing role as a community space, and the strong response to the campaign within the first 12 hours, we now have sufficient formal community members to submit an Asset of Community Value (ACV) nomination directly.”
We contacted Cheshire East Council on June 2nd to find out why it is being auctioned off and whether it has considered retaining it as a community asset.
The authority has so far failed to reply.
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