Assets of Community Value and Community Right to Bid

Assets of Community Value

A building or piece of land is an Asset of Community Value if its main use is, or recently has been, to further the social wellbeing or social interest of the local community, and it could do so in the future.

According to the Localism Act 2011, 'social interests' include cultural, recreational and sporting interests. Regulations list a number of situations where land or buildings are exempted from inclusion on the list or operation of the moratorium. These include homes, hotels, assets being transferred between kindred businesses, and Church of England land holdings.

Who can nominate Assets of Community Value

The following community organisations with a local connection can nominate land and buildings for inclusion on the register of assets of community value:

parish councils
neighbourhood forums
unincorporated community groups with membership of at least 21 local people who appear on the local electoral roll
not-for-private-profit organisations, eg charities

A local connection means that the organisation's activities are wholly or partly concerned with the area, or with a neighbouring authority's area.

How to make a nomination

When making a nomination, you need to provide the following information:

a description of the nominated land, including its proposed boundaries (this can include a plan)
a statement of all the information you have with regard to:
- the names of current occupants of the land, and
- the names and current or last known addresses of all those holding a freehold or leasehold estate in the land
your reasons for thinking that Adur District Council or Worthing Borough Council should conclude that the land is of community value
evidence that you are eligible to make a community nomination
evidence and reasons to support the nomination

To make a nomination please use the form below:

Return the completed form to us by email or post using the contact details listed below.

If the land or building is outside Adur's or Worthing's administrative boundaries, the nomination should be sent to the local authority for the area concerned - see:

Neighbouring Councils

How a nomination is assessed

We will acknowledge all nominations, and must decide whether the nominated land or property should be included on the list of assets of community value within eight weeks of receiving the nomination.

Nominations which meet statutory criteria will be added to the list of assets of community value.

List of Assets of Community Value in Adur and Worthing

The latest lists of Assets of Community Value are included below:

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Community Right to Bid

The Community Right to Bid aims to keep valued land and buildings in community use by giving local people the chance to buy them, if and when they come onto the market.

Your community can nominate public and private land and buildings to be included on the register of Assets of Community Value. If something listed on this register is offered for sale, the 'Right to Bid' is triggered. You then have up to six months to prepare a bid and compete to buy the land or buildings.

The Community Right to Bid could be used to nominate, and then bid for local land or buildings that might currently be in public ownership or owned by a private company or an individual, such as:

local shops
community centres or church halls
public houses
former schools
swimming pools
public open space

How the bidding works

The Community Right to Bid does not give a right of first refusal to community organisations to buy an asset that they successfully nominate for inclusion on the register. What it does do is give time for them to put together the funding necessary to bid to buy the asset on the open market.

If an owner wants to sell property or land that is on the list, they must tell the local authority. If the nominating body is keen to develop a bid, they can then call for the local authority to trigger a moratorium period, during which time the owner cannot proceed to sell the asset.

There are two moratorium periods. Both start from the date the owner of the asset tells the local authority of their intention to sell. The first is the interim moratorium period, which is six weeks, during which time community organisations can decide if they want to be considered as a potential bidder. If none do so, the owner is free to sell their asset at the end of the six weeks.

The other is a full moratorium period, which is six months, during which a community organisation - having declared they wish to bid - can develop a proposal and raise the money required to bid to buy the asset.

Regulations list some situations where the moratorium will not be applied, even when it is an Asset of Community Value on the list. These exceptions include the sale of assets from one partner or another (for example, in a divorce).

For more information about the Community Right to Bid and the support and advice available to communities wishing to take up community rights, please visit the: