Council's Community Buildings Policy Proposals

[SheffieldForum 947]

Empowering and strengthening local groups, creating thriving places to live and helping communities become more resilient and entrepreneurial are just some of the potential outcomes outlined in the Council’s proposed Community Buildings Policy approach.

The Council owns 4,000 buildings across the city, including iconic and historic buildings such as the Town Hall and Moorfoot building. Within this, it currently manages and maintains more than 100 community buildings and leases out many more to community groups.

 

It is vital we have a clear and robust Community Buildings Policy to help us deliver on our draft Council Plan and the wider Sheffield City Goals.

 

The Council will discuss the proposed approach to the Community Buildings Policy on Wednesday March 12^th. The report outlines how the Council, if approved, would introduce an interim policy for a year to enable progress on a number of Community Asset Transfers that have already been requested.

 

Meanwhile, during those 12 months, the Council would work with Voluntary and Community Sector Groups to produce a fuller Community Buildings Policy designed by those who will be using and benefiting from the buildings. This policy would be informed by the findings and learnings of a pilot in the South Local Area Committee (further detail below).

 

The Community Buildings Policy will provide a guide for the use of community buildings in the city, including how voluntary and community groups can take them over through the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) process and what criteria organisations must meet and/or evidence. Importantly, it will set out how the Council and others will support Voluntary and Community Sector Groups to sustainably manage buildings for the benefit of their communities.

 

Community Asset Transfer is a voluntary process which involves the transfer of management and/or ownership of public land and/or buildings to a community organisation to achieve an economic, social or environmental benefit.

 

The new thorough and robust policy would provide the Council with a range of factors to consider for Community Asset Transfer requests, such as a group’s ability to properly maintain a building, their compliance with necessary inspections and their financial capabilities to cover running costs.

 

At the Strategy and Resources Committee on Wednesday, councillors will discuss the following proposals:  

 

1. A 12-month policy for Community Asset Transfer and Community Buildings Strategy – this interim policy will provide a basis to progress with outstanding CAT requests while a fuller policy is developed. 
2. An area-based pilot in the South Local Area Committee - The Council owns close to 50 community buildings in this area, some maintained by the Council, others managed through leases or other arrangements. There are already a number of CAT requests in place in this area and the Council would progress these buildings during the pilot. The findings and learnings from this pilot would be used to inform the final Community Buildings Policy.
3. Future uses for more than 20 Council buildings in need of an immediate decision. There are a range of options for their future use and the arrangements with the community groups would be discussed once a path forward has been agreed at Committee.

 

Over the years ahead, if approved, the Council would conduct a thorough and standardised review of all its community buildings. This review would take into consideration a number of factors, including:  

 

• Financial viability of a building’s current condition, the operating costs, maintenance costs, investment needs and potential future use.
• Environmental sustainability – the ability for the building to become net zero and required investment to do so, current and future potential energy performance, carbon emissions and the challenges to achieve it
• Current and future use of the building and availability of similar facilities in the area, including whether the building is fit for purpose for intended use.
• Current and future use of buildings contribution to Council’s strategic ambitions and those of our communities 
• Whether there are any legal ownership, covenants or restrictions of building considerations

A decision on the future of each building and its use will be reached based on the findings of the review and on a case-by-case basis. The approach would result in a recommendation for each building to:  

 

• Invest: Target investment to improve the quality of the building and deliver better outcomes for our communities.
• Divest: Dispose of surplus buildings to create savings, which could be re-invested into the Council’s remaining estate. Any building disposals would be undertaken through the Council’s Policy for the Disposal of Council Owned Land and Property. 
• Re-purpose: Explore options for co-location, repurposing, or asset transfer of buildings to deliver better value for communities and maximise usage.

[Irene Swaine 1,072]

For a start, the Town Hall needs to become more of a pinnacle of the community, not just somewhere people hire to get married. Re-open the toilet facilities there. Have exhibitions on in there to attract visitors.

 

Stop giving approval to repetitive apartment developments that the city doesn't want, need and the plumbing infastructure can't cope with. The King's tower project where C&A/Primark used to be looks like it will be a real eyesore. We don't want residential buildings in the city centre. We want leisure venues, retail outlets, bars & restaurants.

[Andy_terrier 69]

4000 buildings...

[dave_the_m 61]

21 hours ago, Irene Swaine said:

We don't want residential buildings in the city centre. We want leisure venues, retail outlets, bars & restaurants.

You seem to have strong opinions on what "we" all want. Have you polled the people of Sheffield to conclude this, or are you just guessing what we all want?

Sheffield city centre already has lots of restaurants, bars, etc, for people who like that sort of thing. Are you saying they're always packed, so no-one can find a restaurant that's not already fully booked, and so we need more? If they're not already all packed to the gills, then perhaps "we" actually don't want more such facilities, and have already voted with our feet.

[Resident 1,195]

So basically CAT is just the council offloading it's liabilities towards public owned buidlings, but in the guise of doing good for the community....

 

[hackey lad 3,989]

2 minutes ago, Resident said:

So basically CAT is just the council offloading it's liabilities towards public owned buidlings, but in the guise of doing good for the community....

 

[Irene Swaine 1,072]

9 hours ago, dave_the_m said:

You seem to have strong opinions on what "we" all want. Have you polled the people of Sheffield to conclude this, or are you just guessing what we all want?

Sheffield city centre already has lots of restaurants, bars, etc, for people who like that sort of thing. Are you saying they're always packed, so no-one can find a restaurant that's not already fully booked, and so we need more? If they're not already all packed to the gills, then perhaps "we" actually don't want more such facilities, and have already voted with our feet.

The Museum Public House & Restaurant is frequently packed and tables are in high demand. Ditto for The Penny Black, another Greene King establishment. 

 

Do you want to live in a concrete tower in the sky in the middle of town?? The empty apartments around Wellington Street suggest most people don't and that we already have more than enough of them. 

[ECCOnoob 1,050]

24 minutes ago, Irene Swaine said:

The Museum Public House & Restaurant is frequently packed and tables are in high demand. Ditto for The Penny Black, another Greene King establishment. 

 

Do you want to live in a concrete tower in the sky in the middle of town?? The empty apartments around Wellington Street suggest most people don't and that we already have more than enough of them. 

What empty apartments?  

[Irene Swaine 1,072]

3 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

What empty apartments?  

Where the new Tesco is. Never any sign of anyone living there. Never seen anyone going in or out either. Only a limited number of people want to live in flats. That is why Norfolk Park, Kelvin etc got pulled down.

[bungleboy69 101]

On 06/03/2024 at 15:38, Irene Swaine said:

 We don't want residential buildings in the city centre. We want leisure venues, retail outlets, bars & restaurants.

Maybe you don't. But I like an appropriate, strategic balance of residential, commercial and industrial properties within the city centre... People living in the centre contribute towards a dynamic and lively city, otherwise we just have a souless downtown USA type places that's are quiet after 9pm.

[bungleboy69 101]

52 minutes ago, Irene Swaine said:

The Museum Public House & Restaurant is frequently packed and tables are in high demand. Ditto for The Penny Black, another Greene King establishment. 

IMO The Museum is bloody awful... dreadful drink options. Miserable staff.  I'll never go again. Greene King is a terrible brewery run by accountants who no idea about decent beers. 

[ECCOnoob 1,050]

25 minutes ago, Irene Swaine said:

Where the new Tesco is. Never any sign of anyone living there. Never seen anyone going in or out either. Only a limited number of people want to live in flats. That is why Norfolk Park, Kelvin etc got pulled down.

Oh you mean the block that only got completed in November and already has people living in it.  Better get to Specsavers love.

 

Talking out of your arse again with your delusion that everyone just longs for a nice semi with a garden and driveway.  You live in a city. Cities have vast numbers of densely packed population with a large majority living in apartments.  A pattern mirrored in cities across the planet.

 

It's been reported that demands for apartments have increased 8 to 10%  and developing changes in the make up of households with more single persons, young professionals and couples without children wanting to be in smaller living spaces with nearby facilities.

 

That's before we get onto the student apartment market with construction industry reports saying that they can barely keep up with building to meet the demand.

 

You just stick to the sandwich making.  

Edited March 7 by ECCOnoob