UK: Community exercises right to buy empty bank
Residents of a suburb of Glasgow are about to become the first community to buy a commercial building under the Community Right to Buy provisions of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
This relatively new legislation enables communities to register an interest in acquiring a particular plot of land or a building in any rural area of Scotland, and be given the first option to buy the land or building at a fair price if and when it goes on sale. The legislation was primarily intended for use by rural communities to protect them against land and homes being sold by absentee landlords. The use of the legislation by the residents of Neilston, a suburb of Glasgow, has caught the imagination of community activists all over the UK. Campaigners want similar legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Neilston community has been granted permission to purchase the building – a former bank – from the Scottish Executive and now needs to raise funds to complete the sale within six months. Neilston Development Trust, which is managing the purchase on behalf of the community, plans to run the two-storey building as a social enterprise that provides affordable offices for small businesses and agencies providing services that are not currently available in the village. www.neilstonspacetolive.co.uk
