Plans to convert a former social work office in Bathgate into a community music and arts centre have been rejected by West Lothian Council.
The project would have been delivered in partnership with two other third sector organisations: Reconnect SCIO which runs Bathgate’s Regal Theatre, and Trash Panda, a community interest company which aims to promote well-being through music and arts.
Councillors on the Asset Transfer Committee backed officials who said an application by Bathgate Community Development Trust to take on the building should not go ahead because detailed proposals were scant.
The Labour dominated committee backed Provost Cathy Muldoon’s refusal to allow the plan to proceed.
But SNP councillor Diane Calder was critical of officers, and the council, claiming that the trust had not been given adequate help to develop their proposals to create a public rehearsal space, teaching rooms, studios and a wellbeing hub for local artists and the wider community.
Labour depute group leader Councillor Kirsteen Sullivan asked if there had been any prior engagement from the trust to confirm what the running costs of a venue would be. Scott Hughes, an asset manager for the council’s finance and property services confirmed that there had been none.
He told the meeting that no business plan had been provided: “It’s about officers understanding what the project is but also about officers providing information of running costs, and utility bills but that was not requested.”
Mr Hughes said that the council had a page promoting asset transfer on the council website, which provided information to potential applicants.
Councillor Craig Meek said: “Sadly this request is missing very critical and key information which includes the viability and what needs it would be addressing within the Bathgate community. We need that information because it is quite critical to decisions.
Councillor Calder said: “ It is missing some vital information but in my opinion it’s because of the lack of engagement that this group was afforded by the council.”
She added that the trust was not the ”fledgling company” suggested by officials and added: “I don’t think they have been given fair shout here. I believe there was a very short timeline that the asset transfer came into their knowledge, then the building went up for sale as well. I don’t know if there’s room to go back to the groups to obtain the information to review the application again.”
Councillor Sullivan said she had seen previous applications, which had a business case of 50 pages long in one case where none was provided here.
Conservative Councillor Alison Adamson said: “It’s the wrong place, wrong application and they need to take business advice and need to have more experience in the business world.
“I do wish them success for the future.”
The former social work office now looks set to be sold on the open market.
However Donald Stavert, a community councillor in Bathgate and a director of the trust said the building would have been ideal to develop as a community music venue in the centre of town, and slated the council for having no contact with the Trust or its partners.
He had applied to speak to the committee but the request had been made too late.
Contacted by the local democracy reporting service after the meeting he said: “Our stance is that we applied in a hurry as a deadline was set soon after we heard about it. To our surprise no interview or discussion with us or the Regal or Trash Panda was ever held, not one minute of conversation, seeking clarification or offering advice was held.”
He said the trust would now start a campaign to get the community asset transfer procedures changed.
He added: “Community assets should be made known to community groups and councils before they are offered out on the open market.
“Community organisations should be interviewed on their proposals clarifying any issues and offered advice to benefit the proposal before it’s finally reported to committee..
“Moving assets into community ownership should be a mainstay of the community wealth building policy agenda the council are promoting.
“We suspected there was a private bid in and the money was probably more attractive to the council than a cash strapped community group.
“It’s a pity because it was a great project built around music, which West Lothian had a great reputation in and the building is right in the middle of the town and there are no residential properties anywhere near. These assets they are selling have been bought and paid for by the community through tax and council tax and should be handed over to the community for free to build capacity in the community.”
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