AN ANDOVER councillor is calling on the borough council to make more affordable spaces available for community and arts groups in the town.
Cllr David Treadwell, who represents Romans ward on Andover Town Council, has called on Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) to open up the former magistrates’ court building for use by local organisations, as well as cutting the price of empty Chantry Centre units.
In a letter to the Advertiser, he said: “I have been pushing TVBC to make their unused buildings available for arts and community projects. The Chantry Centre is offering shops to community groups at nearly full commercial rent. I think the council should be supporting these groups, not charging them to operate out of otherwise vacant shops. They are offering ‘pop up shops’ although the terms are not suitable for ongoing community projects.”
He continued: “I have enquired about using the old magistrates’ court, as have many other groups. This building, owned by TVBC and paid for by the taxpayer, has officially remained shut on safety grounds due to a report issued to TVBC. I asked for the report and it turns out it doesn’t exist, it was in fact just a verbal instruction from someone inside TVBC offices. In other words, for the past seven years, this huge building has remained unused and been allowed to fall into disrepair simply because no one wanted to take responsibility for it.”
Cllr Treadwell blames “excessive delegation and sprawl of local government” for the issue, as he says it “makes it totally unclear who is responsible for what”, and allows assets to be “forgotten about”.
He added: “TVBC has the resources to help these groups. Will they offer the magistrates’ court for public use and reduce the rent for community groups in the Chantry Centre?”
Andover Magistrates’ Court closed in 2010 as part of national judicial reform.
In a statement to the Advertiser, a TVBC spokesperson said: “When the council purchased the Former Magistrates Court in Andover it did so knowing that the building was in an extremely poor state of repair and requiring major works. It is also provided an opportunity to secure additional car parking in close proximity to The Lights and the leisure centre by opening a former private car park for public use. The building is unsafe for occupation and cannot be used in its present condition. The site is earmarked as a key piece of land for the town’s aspirational masterplan looking towards the future. It would not be a good use of public funds to bring the building up to a safe standard when its future is part of the masterplan consideration which may or may not lead to the demolition of the building.
“We will always look to support community groups, and continue to do so, including spaces we are able to offer through council ownership. Since purchasing the Chantry Centre in March 2019, we have introduced a pop-up scheme enabling individuals and community groups to occupy vacant units at no cost, or a very low fee. The units in the centre operating under pop-up arrangements do not pay anything close to current full commercial rental levels.
“If a space becomes available that suits a community need, we will absolutely continue to work hard to assist with accommodation if we are able.”
Message from the editor
Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.
Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from Andover by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.
Kimberley Barber
Editor
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel