Broadhurst Grove: Council will not donate to fundraiser

Broadhurst Grove residents are currently fundraising to buy back the piece of land that acts as a community hub to them.

They had assumed it would always be there, but Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have admitted that they failed to enact a legal agreement which led to the developer selling off the land at auction.

It is now threatened with development, although the current owner has agreed a £45,000 price tag to sell the land to residents - a mark up of 430 per cent on what they bought it at auction for.

Residents have started a fundraiser, aiming for a target of £55,000 to cover the land as well as legal fees.

But BDBC have said they will not be donating to the fundraiser.

A spokesperson told The Gazette: "We are aware that the residents are raising money to buy the land. This is not something that the council would be involved in.

"We have been maintaining the land as open space for a number of years and any proposals for the land would need to be judged against the policies of the Local Plan which protect open spaces, subject to a number of criteria."

The authority has maintained the land for the last four decades, thinking it was owned by them.

However, it came to light earlier this year that BDBC mistakenly did not enact a section 52 legal agreement with the developer, which would have seen the authority take ownership of the land.

It would have meant that the council could buy back the land from the owner for £1.

Residents say they were advised by BDBC not to bid for the land because they would be left out of pocket when the council enacted the section 52 order.

But months later, in March 2021, the council advised them that it is "unlikely" they would be able to force the new owners of the sites to hand them over.

It means they are now forced with forking out £45,000, plus legal fees, rather than around £8,500.

You can read more about the fundraiser, and donate, here.