The Localism Act 2011 allows communities to nominate buildings or land for listing by the Local Authority as an Asset of Community Value.
An asset can be listed if its principal use furthers (or has recently furthered) their community’s social wellbeing or social interests (which include cultural, sporting or recreational interests) and is likely to do so in the future.
When a listed asset comes to be sold (or otherwise disposed of), a moratorium on the sale or disposal (of up to six months) may be invoked providing local community groups with a better chance to raise finance, develop a business plan, make a bid to buy the asset on the open market, or submit a plan to manage the asset as a public service.
Warren Farm Sports Centre (UB2 4NE) comprises 61.28 acres of well-drained community sports pitches. In the Council’s Local Development Plan, the land is designated as Metropolitan Open Land (London’s Green Belt), Community Open Space, a Site of Interest for Nature Conservation and an Archaeological Interest Site (under English Heritage). We believe that it would be both possible and practical to replace the existing run down changing rooms and to manage the entire space on behalf of the community for sports, informal recreation, nature conservation and to protect the archaeology, for the social and cultural wellbeing of the community.
The objective of listing Warren Farm as an Asset of Community Value is to secure the community's right to bid for the land should it become available for disposal at any time in the future.
For more information see; http://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/200925/localism_act/1504/community_right_to_bid