Use this page to learn about registering an Asset of Community Value (ACV). Assets of Community value are places and spaces that are important to the local community. Registered assets include shops, pubs and community halls.
Only eligible groups, such as Parish Councils and residents groups, can apply to register an asset.
About eligible groups
To be eligible to register an ACV, groups must:
- have a local connection to the property they wish to nominate (this means that its activities are wholly or partly concerned with Bath and North East Somerset)
- be one or more of the following:
- an unincorporated community group with at least 21 members who are registered to vote in the Bath and North East Somerset area
- a Parish Council
- a charity
- an industrial and provident society
- a company limited by guarantee or a community interest company.
How to nominate an Asset of Community Value
A nomination must include:
- address of the property
- details of the owner and current occupants
- the extent of the site and its proposed boundaries
- why you feel it is an asset of community value.
You must also provide evidence of your eligibility to nominate.
What happens when an asset is nominated
Once the completed nomination form as been received, we will check:
- the eligibility of the nomination
- the group making the nomination
- the completeness of the information supplied
- that the asset is not in an excluded category
We will take all practicable steps to notify the owner and lawful occupants that the asset is being considered for listing as an ACV.
We decide whether or not to list the asset within eight weeks of the nomination.
We will tell the group that nominated the asset if the application was successful, and if it was not successful we'll try to explain why.
Adding ACVs to the register
Assets that are considered to be of community value will then be added to the List of Assets of Community Value.
All assets will remain on the list for five years. When the five years have expired, an eligible group can submit a new nomination.
Decisions as to whether the nominated assets are of community value will be made by an officer group.
Appeal process
If a property is listed, the property owner can ask for a review and there will be a process for an appeal.
The legislation does note allow nominators to appeal the decision made in respect of their nomination.
When an asset is listed
Once an asset is listed, the owner cannot then dispose of it without:
- letting us know that they intend to sell the asset or grant a lease of more than 25 years
- waiting until the end of a six week "interim moratorium" period if we don't receive a request from a local community interest group to be treated as a potential bidder
- waiting until the end of a six month "full moratorium" period if we receive a request from a local community interest group to be treated as a potential bidder
It is important to note that the owner of an ACV does not have to sell the asset to a community interest group.