Land Off Lammas Road - Disposal Of Land

DISPOSAL OF LAND OFF LAMMAS ROAD, SUTTON IN ASHFIELD
BY THE SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD RECREATION GROUNDS 2006 CHARITABLE TRUST

Ashfield District Council (“the Council”) is currently the sole charity trustee of a charity called the “Sutton-in-Ashfield Recreation Grounds 2006”, registered with the Charity Commission with charity register number
1119612 (“the Charity”).
The governing document of the Charity requires the land owned by the charity to be kept as an open space and used by the public for recreation and pleasure grounds.
In 2007 the Council, acting as a local authority rather than as a charity trustee, in error constructed and opened a leisure centre, known as Lammas Leisure Centre, on the charity’s land. This meant that the land could no longer be used by the public as an open space, in contravention with the governing document of the charity.
Having obtained specialist legal advice and a surveyor’s report, the Charity has entered into discussions with the Charity Commission regarding a potential land swap whereby the Charity exchanges the land on which Lammas Leisure Centre sits with non-charity land owned outright by the Council at Sutton Lawn Recreation Ground, Lawn Avenue, Sutton in Ashfield. If the land swap goes ahead, the Charity would own land at Lawn Avenue and the Council would own the site of Lammas Leisure Centre outright.
The Council has already notified the public of a proposed land swap under its duty as a public body. It is the opinion of the Charity that the land swap is in the best interests of the Charity as the land proposed to be acquired by the Charity is larger, has more public amenities and greater value than the land currently owned by the Charity prior to the construction of the leisure centre.
No final decision has yet been made regarding the land swap and both the Charity Commission and the Council wish to consult with the public on the proposed land swap. The Charity Commission’s consent is required to the proposed land swap.
Full details of the extent of the land proposed to be exchanged can be found here:
Ashfield District Council, Urban Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 8DA
https://www.ashfield.gov.uk/your-council/legal-information-public-data/disposal-of-land-off-lammas-road-sutton-in-ashfield/
Comments are invited from the public before 5pm on Friday 17th January 2025 and may be made via a dedicated email address lammasconsultation@ashfield.gov.uk or sent in writing to Legal Services using the above address. All comments made before this deadline will be considered by the Charity before any final decision is taken by either the Charity or the Charity Commission.
Dated: 9 December 2024