Hampshire Now - your County Council magazine

Bedhampton Community to benefit from sale of former Arts Centre

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Community projects in and around Bedhampton are set to benefit when Hampshire County Council reinvests funding received from the sale of the former Arts Centre.

As his Decision Day meeting held on 10 July 2012, Leader of Hampshire County Council and Executive Member for Policy and Resources, Councillor Ken Thornber approved plans to reinvest the £400,000 capital receipt from the sale of the building, into sport, cultural and recreational facilities in the area.

Following the move by Arts Services from the former Bedhampton Arts Centre to The Spring in Havant in 2010, the building became surplus to the needs of the County Council. As a Grade II Listed former school building dating back to 1867, the purchasers, will however be required to safeguard the local landscape and retain the important architectural parts of the historic building.

Supporting the local community

The capital receipt received by the County Council from the sale of the building will now be made available to fund the following projects:

Project

Sum

Bidbury Mead Sports Pavilion refurbishment

£100,000

Updating Bidbury Mead play park

£50,000

Replacement turf at Bedhampton Bowling Club

£60,000

Toilet facilities at Staunton Country Park

£100,000

Cycling, walking & bridge improvements by the Hermitage Stream

£85,0000

Contingency

£5,000

Total

£400,000

Councillor Thornber, said:

"At a time when we face ongoing financial pressures, it is vital that we continue to deliver value for money for Hampshire taxpayers, and despite the former Bedhampton Arts Centre no longer being operationally useful for the County Council, it is an example of where its sale will still deliver benefits to local people.

"It was always the intention to reinvest the capital receipt into community facilities in the Bedhampton area, as there would have been a significant financial burden to the public purse from the additional cost to secure, maintain, or refurbish the old building to bring it back into use."

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