The Community Right to Bid/Assets of Community Value

What is The Community Right to Bid?

The Community Right to Bid is a scheme that was introduced in The Localism Act 2011. It is intended to provide local communities with the chance to nominate important local amenities as an Asset of Community Value. Gosport Borough Council will maintain a List of such assets when successfully nominated and publish the same. If an asset on the list is put up for sale the Council must be told and we will inform the nominee to give them time, under the scheme, to attempt to raise the money to buy the asset.

What Property has "Community Value"?

These will be assets consisting of land or buildings the main current use of which contributes to the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community, such as:-

Day care centres
Health centres, clinics and hospitals
Open green spaces and parks
Libraries, theatres, museums and heritage sites
Community centres
Village shops and pubs

Please note that this list is not exhaustive and is for guidance only.

The Act also extends the definition of land and buildings that contribute to such social wellbeing or social interests to those which have in the recent past and which it is reasonable to consider will do so again in the next five years. These too can therefore be nominated.

Certain property is excluded, such as residential property or if the property forms part of a larger property.

Who can make a Nomination?

The following are examples of groups or organisations who can make a nomination:-

A company limited by guarantee which does not distribute any surplus it makes to its members
An industrial and provident society which does not distribute any surplus it makes to its members
A local voluntary or community group that is not incorporated but which has at least 21 members registered to vote within Gosport Borough Council or a neighbouring Authority and which does not distribute any surplus if makes to its members
A charity
A Community Interest Company

The Process for Nomination

Identify/Nominate an asset.
Prepare your bid.
Ask Gosport Borough Council to list the asset as an Asset of Community Value.
GBC will then have 8 weeks to decide whether it has to be listed under the Localism Act 2011 and Regulations made under it by the Government. The asset will then be placed on a list of successful or unsuccessful nominations on our website.
If you are successful, we will tell you if the asset comes up for sale.
You will then need to decide whether you can raise the price payable for it and make a bid.
Prepare and make the bid within six months.
The owner of the asset will consider the bid, and decide whether to sell it to you. There is no compulsion for them to do so.
If your bid is accepted you will obtain ownership of the asset.

Maintaining the List of Assets of Community Value

Gosport Borough Council will update the list as nominations are received and decision made whether to list a nominated property or not, or as owners of listed assets decide to sell them.

Assets will be removed from the List once five years have passed since the date they were added. In some cases assets may be removed earlier, for example:-

if an internal review or independent appeal judges that the asset has been wrongly listed
if it becomes no longer of community value
if a relevant disposal has taken place

Excepted Disposals

Some disposal by the owner of a listed property will not trigger to the right to bid for a community group, such as the passing of it under a will or intestacy, a transfer between certain family members or a disposal with other land. There are certain other exceptions, contained in Schedule 3 of The Regulations.

List of Unsuccessful Nominations (PDF) [15KB]

Do you wish to make a Nomination? Nomination Form for listing a property as An Asset of Community Value (PDF) [234KB]

For more information on the scheme please visit:

Assets of Community Value - Policy Statement (external link)
Community Right to Bid: Non-statutory advice note for local authorities (external link)
The Assets of Community Value (England) Regulations 2012 (external link)

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The Community Right to Bid/Assets of Community Value