Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council decides to sell 24 Swan Street to Kingsclere community

A popular council-owned building in Kingsclere will be offered to local community groups at a lower than market price after the council decided it will sell the property.

The decision to sell 24 Swan Street, which is home to several local businesses including the accomplished JLD School of Dance, was made at a Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council cabinet meeting on March 7.

The Kingsclere Performing Arts and Youth Centre (KPAYC) community interest company hopes to purchase 24 Swan Street, and it will be given six months to gather the necessary funds to do so.

Both ward councillors and members of the Kingsclere community made statements at the meeting, with some speaking about the great benefits the building could have for the community in the future, and others criticising the council’s handling of the sale.

Principal of Kingsclere Performing Arts College and KPAYC director Hannah Horton said that if the council were to sell the property, KPAYC “would be able to create an enhanced facility where more of our young people can develop and thrive”.

If it purchased the building, the company had plans to develop it to include a community café, classroom, office, media room and more.

Councillor Ken Rhatigan (Con, Tadley North, Kingsclere and Baughurst) said he was “delighted” to see the potential disposal of the building.

Mr Rhatigan said: “I think all councillors, Liberal Democrat and Tory, will make the effort to ensure the grants are there to fund it.

“We will ask everybody we know. We will knock on any door possible that might have money to fund this to make sure this community asset is really something we can all be proud of.”

Kerry Morrow (Lib Dem, Tadley North, Kingsclere and Baughurst) criticised Basingstoke and Deane for its “shameful” handling of the disposal of the property.

He said: “I speak of the failure to consult with the tenants, the complete lack of understanding of the facilities and activities at 24 Swan Street, and the years of stress and uncertainty you have subjected the tenants of 24 Swan Street to.”

Basingstoke and Deane initially put the building up for sale two years ago in the hope that property developers would make the purchase, something councillor Morrow believed “resulted in extreme stress to the tenants”.

Eira Tonkings is the owner of the 24 Swan Street business Eira’s Equestrian Extras, and her husband Dave is co-owner of Baughurst Blades, another independent business which operates within the building.

Mrs Tonkings said she was “really disappointed” with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, stating that since it decided to sell the building “mine and my husband’s businesses are going down the drain”.

She continued: “You’re always saying that you support little businesses but I can’t see that. I haven’t seen any help from any councillors here.

“At the end of the day, if this gets sold, my husband’s and my business that I’ve worked hard for is going to go down the drain.”

In response to Mrs Tonkings, the cabinet member for finance and property John Izett (Con, Evingar) apologised for her “difficult time”.

He stated: “As a council we have a responsibility to manage our properties and our assets as well as possible and that requires us to look at, every so often, the possibility of selling the asset.

“But in this case, there is an opportunity here for the existing tenants to continue to occupy the building so it may well be that there is some greater security available to you as a result of what is being proposed tonight.”

He also called councillor Morrow’s comments “inflammatory” and said: “I can assure you that the possibility of the disposal of 24 Swan Street is something that has been long known about by all the occupiers in the building.”

Mr Izett stated that the council had listened to concerns of the Kingsclere community and of the ward councillors, which is why the “rather unique” proposal of selling the building was being brought in front of the cabinet.

He said: “We are going the extra mile here and looking to come forward with a solution which will enable these valuable community facilities to continue into the future.”