Daventry community centre’s future in doubt unless residents can help rescue it

Southbrook Community Centre, in Hood Road, is owned by the district council but for years has been rented to Southbrook Community Association.

The most notable use of the building has been Happy Faces Day Care, which provided the vast majority of income that allowed the community association to meet the running costs of the 1970s building. But Happy Faces has recently closed its doors for good due to the financial implications of COVID-19, which led to the community association voting to dissolve itself.

With Daventry Town Council declining to take on the building, having already taken on a number of assets from the district council, DDC has now agreed a preferred approach on how to save the centre. It will first be offered to community groups, but if no approach comes forward then it would be available for commercial use.

That method was agreed by the council’s Strategy Group when it met last week (September 10), but will also need the ratification of full council.

Papers in the Strategy Group agenda state: “Given the benefits of community use of the building, the following approach has been identified.

“If the work to establish a new form of community group concerned with the wellbeing of Southbrook succeeds, a lease of up to seven years would be granted without competition. This would be on a ‘peppercorn’ rent (i.e. no real rent charged) but would make the group responsible for the building’s repair, maintenance and insurance.

“If the above approach has not borne fruit by October 1, 2020, an exercise would be run seeking proposals for how the building could be run in the best interests of the community. Assessment of proposals would be jointly undertaken by the council’s property and community development officers. The principles of the council’s grants policy would be applied, with additional checks on the capabilities of the group(s) concerned to look after the building.

"As above, a lease of up to seven years would be provided and no real rent would be charged but the occupying group(s) would be responsible for the building’s repair, maintenance and insurance.

“Should no acceptable community offers be received by January 1, 2021, the building should be marketed for occupation on a commercial basis.

“This is considered to represent a sensible framework for seeking the good of the community, but not exposing the council to prolonged costs of managing an empty building.”

Councillor Wendy Randall said she believed that the building was 'in poor repair' and questioned whether any community group would be able to afford repair costs over the next seven years. She said: "I don't think they should have to pick up repairs that are already needed."

But Simon Bowers, the council's business executive director, replied: "The previous tenants actually kept it in good condition. There's nothing untoward in the condition of the building."

Maria Taylor, executive director for community, added that the council was doing 'everything it could' to support the community. She said: "I can assure you that our team have been involved in a community involvement aspect as soon as the news came to our ears that there were issues with Happy Faces. We tried to look at alternatives for keeping the nursery going and for alternative provision of the nursery nearby the site.

"We're talking to lots of community and voluntary organisations, we're working very hard and will do everything we can to make sure there is as much community provision in and around Southbrook going forward. Community organisations are great at sharing information with each other, so if we get volunteers coming forward there's lot of help for them if someone wants to take the building on."