After an outcry from community groups and fundraisers, and questions by the Cambridge Independent, Cambridgeshire County Council has made a sudden U-turn on its plans to shorten the deadline for bids to buy the former Mill Road Library.
The historic listed building has been put up for sale with a price tag of £700,000 but Cambridge City Council then declared it an asset of community value (ACV), which means the county council cannot sell it to commercial bidders for six months. This is to give community interest groups time to raise funds to buy the building.
However, last week the county council stunned these community groups by unexpectedly cutting short the moratorium period to just three months – even though this appears to be against the ACV rules – and demanding all bids be placed by 1 May, with the winning bidder to be decided by councillors in June.
But, after the Cambridge Independent questioned the process, the council changed its mind this week and set a new deadline of 12 August, in line with legal requirements.
John Preston, who has campaigned for the former library to be kept for community use, said: “The county’s actions smack of contempt for groups hoping to rescue Mill Road’s only listed building, and for the local community. It was only a month ago, at four days’ notice and with a woeful lack of publicity, that the county finally gave the public a first opportunity – 30 months after ‘completing’ essential repairs – to see inside the full space of the former library.
“Anyone would think that the county don’t want the community to know about, or be interested in, what is happening to their former library, the only listed building on Mill Road! The county have not consulted the public at any stage on its future.
“If the county had worked with local community members from the start, rather than running a competitive commercial sale process, a community group might already be in place and the library open and available to all.
Matthew Webb, who is raising money to turn the former library building into a community arts centre, said: “When the shortened deadline was announced by the county council last week we were astonished. It was the first we had heard of this date – despite signalling our intention to bid – and it was three months sooner than the moratorium deadline. We had no option but to give up as there was no way we would be able to get a bid together to buy the library and make it a community arts centre at such short notice.
“Now, just as suddenly, the date has been changed to August. We have wasted a lot of time just trying to clarify the process and trying to find out what’s happening and what's expected of you rather than actually putting our time into making a compelling case and making it work.
“Raising money for community use of the building requires all sorts of sources of funding, and it requires good faith on the part of the seller that this is what they would like to see as an outcome. But there’s nothing in the process that shows that’s what they want as an outcome. We have an extraordinarily large supporter base of people who want to see the library saved for the community but also for more cultural space in Cambridge and a place for local arts organisations to perform or host events.”
The county council has not explained its dramatic U-turn, after originally telling the Cambridge Independent twice that the May 1 deadline was correct.
The council instead put out a statement saying: “Any commercial or community organisations interested in purchasing the former Mill Road Library now has until 12 August to submit their bid for the historic building.
“The extended deadline ties in with the six-month Asset of Community Value (ACV) period and Cambridge City Council have confirmed the ACV moratorium deadline is 12 August.
“Mill Road Library has been registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) following representations from the community. This process is managed by Cambridge City Council. ACV status ensures local community organisations are informed of the council’s intention to sell the property. This allows community organisations six months in total to demonstrate their bid – but will not determine who can buy the building or the price. The council has already received strong interest from both community and commercial bidders.”
The bids will be assessed and considered by councillors on the assets and procurement committee later in the year.
The Victorian former Mill Road Library, which closed in 1996, is a grade II-listed building and is being marketed by Gerald Eve, with a guide price of £700,000. The site is being advertised again after the previous preferred bidder, Centre 33, decided not to continue with its proposals for a new charity headquarters when it learned of significant costs of bringing the building back into use.
Cllr Ros Hathorn, chair of the county council’s assets and procurement committee, said: “There has been a lot of interest in this iconic building in the local area.
“In the spirit of the ACV process, we want to allow everyone the full ACV timeframe – six months, so best and final bids for everyone will now be 12 August, when the ACV moratorium ends. We hope this allows the community and commercial organisations time to submit their bids. The committee will consider environmental and social considerations, as well as the financial offer when reviewing the bids. We look forward to finding a new guardian for this listed building.”
To make a bid, contact Tristan Ball on 07825 280910 or by emailing tball@geraldeve.com, or Ben Gilbey on 07393 764732 or by emailing bgilbey@geraldeve.com at Gerald Eve.
