Penrith Town Council breaks its silence on why it voted to not continue with taking on ownership of Carleton Village Hall for £1 from the developers who have built the new hall as part of a planning obligation.
In July 2023, Penrith Town Council voted to progress with acquiring the hall, and develop a business case, when the Town Council was approached by Persimmon.
The new village hall is part of a S106 planning agreement between Persimmon and the former Eden District Council with the agreement now between Persimmon and Westmorland & Furness Council.
After a closed-door meeting earlier this month that excluding public, Penrith Town Council voted not to move forward with acquiring the new purpose-built village hall despite the transfer cost being minimal at just £1.
The town council has now broken its silence and claimed that operational challenges were potentially significant to the Council and the community, but has not provided any further details on the challenges and costs of operating the new purpose-built modern village hall.
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Councillor Val Bowen, Chair of Penrith Town Council & Penrith Mayor said: "The Councillors gave this considerable deliberation, and on the basis of the financial burden this would have placed on the whole of Penrith taxpayers, we felt it was not possible for us to proceed." |
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said:
“Given the town council’s recent decision to not pursue this, alternative options for the hall’s management are now being considered and Westmorland and Furness Council remains in contact with the developer regarding next steps.’’
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