Council votes to dispose of empty Highbury Vale community centre

The centre, on Brooklyn Road, has been largely empty for the past two years, save ben sporadically used as a polling station for elections and occasionally by Bulwell Toy Library and the Sikh Youth and Community Services group, which has been using the building for storage.

There was also concern that the empty building would attract vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Now, Nottingham City Council’s commercial and operations department no longer wants the building and at a meeting of the council’s outbreak control and engagement board, councillors voted to dispose of the building and hand it over to the council’s economic, development and property team to potentially sell the building.

Papers published for the meeting said: “Highbury Vale Community Centre is no longer required as a community centre by commercial and operations.

"There is adequate community space close by used by local people.

"The building was offered to groups needing relocating from the closure of the Radford Unity Complex.

"However, this has not been successful.

"Other than use as local polling station the building has remained unused to regular community group hire.

"The building has been used by Bulwell Community Toy Library during the winter months as a resource should the outdoor play session have inclement weather.

"Commercial and operations have incurred cleaning and compliance costs during this period.

"The centre has also been the victim of anti-social behavior and needed remedial building repairs to keep it operational.

"Leaving the building vacant gives potential for vandalism.

"The centre is adjacent to a children’s park and potential vandalism could cause a harmful environment for young children if the building remains vacant.”

"The opetion not to not sell the building has been rejected because without sale it would continue to be an unnecessary cost to the services resources and may attract anti-social behavior.

“Commercial and operations will remain responsible for the holding and revenue costs of the premises until disposed of

"It is therefore proposed to dispose of the properties to generate a capital receipt for Nottingham City Council.”