Yours for £1… borough agrees to transfer spare amenity land to a town council in Milton Keynes

The land in Tweed Drive was eyed up by West Bletchley Council last year as an area that it could use to provide improved leisure and community activities for people in the area, a meeting heard this week.

Cllr Carole Baume (Lab, Woughton & Fishermead) is Milton Keynes Council’s cabinet member for economy and culture, and yesterday (Tuesday) she took less than five minutes to confirm a decision to transfer the freehold of the land to the town council.

The borough council has a policy of offloading assets for less than best possible prices if the organisations they give the freehold to are democratically controlled. They must also have plans for what they want to do with those assets.

In a report to Cllr Baume for the delegated decision borough officers reported that West Bletchley Council wants to “ensure that the open space remains accessible to local residents and groups who would like to use the open space”.

This land is used on a daily basis for dog walking and informal recreation by local residents and is supported by a ‘Friends of the Park’ group, the meeting heard.

Although the freehold will be transferred for £1 it will be covered by covenants to ensure the land continues to be used for “community-oriented purposes.

The move will also save the borough council £1,104 in the cost of landscaping and remove its legal liabilities as a landlord.