30th October 2022 (by email Right to bid)
Mr Richard Cassidy
Chief Executive
East Herts District Council
Dear Mr Cassidy,
Ref: Asset of Community Value – Community Right to Bid: Localism Act 2011
Water Lane Hall, Bishop’s Stortford (aka URC Hall, Water Lane, Bishop’s Stortford)
I refer to my e-mail to Esther Piper on behalf of Bishop’s Stortford Civic Federation (BSCF) dated Friday 21 October 2022 concerning the above. She acknowledged receipt of the e-mail Tuesday 25 October and advised that she had forwarded it to Ben Wood, Head of Communications, Strategy & Policy, for his information.
I now write to formally confirm that BSCF has unanimously decided to submit a Request to Bid to acquire the Water Lane Hall and the land it sits on. However, I regret to inform you that I am unable to send an accompanying Request to Bid form (see section on Bidding on EHDC’s ACV webpage). This is because there is no link to one on the webpage and the Council website’s search engine is unable to find any reference to one, other than on the ACV webpage.
I should therefore be grateful for a copy of the form by return, along with the accompanying guidance notes. I also trust that in the meantime this letter is sufficient to activate the six-month moratorium on the disposal of this ACV. This is because Section 95 of the Localism Act does provide for:.
‘… a community interest group [to submit} a written request (however expressed) for the group to be treated as a potential bidder in relation to the land’
I understand that the moratorium period started Thursday 20 September 2022. I therefore calculate that it will end Sunday 19 March 2023. However as this day is not a working day I should be grateful if you will please advise me of the final day and date by which a bid has to be submitted.
Yours sincerely
Paul Dean
Chair
Bishop’s Stortford Civic Federation
cc Mr Ben Wood, Head of Communications, Strategy & Policy
Ms Esther Piper, PA to Chairman of the Council / Policy Officer