Issue details

The Council owns land on which the Thorley Community Centre is located at Friedberg Avenue, Bishop's Stortford. The land was leased to Thorley Community Centre Ltd. in 2000 for 60 years at a peppercorn rent. The building was constructed by the Tenant and has been managed and maintained by them since, as required under the lease. The centre offers a variety of activities and events for local residents to attend and is a popular and well run venue.
The current trustees of the centre, most of whom have been involved since the start of the lease would like now to retire from their roles but before doing so are keen to safeguard the future of the centre. They have been in discussions with Bishop's Stortford Town Council and have put forward a request to the Council for consent to assign the lease to Bishop's Stortford Community Centres, a CIO established by the Town Council. The lease prohibits all forms of alienation either by assignment or subletting but the Council can agree to relax this restriction if it considers the request reasonable and will not result in a detrimental use of the Council's asset . The Town Council has expertise in running community centres and previously leased 3 community centres from the Council which have subsequently been sold to them. In agreeing to relax the covenant in this instance it reduces the risk of the community centre failing at some time in the future because the current tenant does not have suitable or sufficient trustees to manage it effectively.
Agreeing to this request will safeguard the future of the community centre and ensure it is run and managed by an experienced and established organisation. The purpose of this report is to seek consent to allow the current tenant to assign the lease to Bishop's Stortford Community Centres.