Council bosses have issued a statement regarding the future of a Nottinghamshire church hall. Nuthall Parish Council has informed residents it has decided to withdraw from further discussions about possibly buying St Patrick’s church hall on Kimberley Road, Nuthall.
Talks regarding the hall's future have been ongoing for the last two years. The council considered the possibility of purchasing the church hall after it was left standing empty following a post-Covid rise in the cost to hire it for community events.
The council said it carried out a condition survey on the hall and found that it needed a number of repairs. However, the council claimed that the church does not want to sell the hall and instead offered the authority the opportunity to lease it for three years.
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"That's not something the parish council could entertain taking on," said parish councillor Philip Owen, who represents the Nuthall ward. "We would either want an outright purchase or a 100-year lease or something like that so we could drag in investments and any long-term loans needed to replace the facility or renovate it.
"We want to preserve what has been a very important community facility in Nuthall over many many years." He added: "We want to ensure local residents that we as a parish council have done everything possible to try and secure the future of that hall. We have acted in a good faith and entered into negotiations."
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham said: "The Parochial Church Council (PCC), with the support of the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, has been considering its medium to long-term options for the community use of St Patrick's church hall, Nuthall, with the parish council since May 2022, recognising the building's status as an Asset of Community Value. The parish council withdrew its interest last week but the PCC, supported by the diocese, remains open to future negotiations."
A Nuthall Parish Council spokesperson added: "We are open to further negotiations should the church's position change significantly."
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