Localism Act

The Localism Act 2011 gives communities a number of rights to help them take greater control over how their local area develops, and how services are provided. One of these rights aims to help communities keep buildings or land they value for community use, if they are to be sold, by nominating it as an  Asset of Community Value (ACV).

A building or land is an ACV if its main use is, or recently was, to further the social wellbeing or interests of the local community, either now or in the future.

Examples of ACVs include:

• pubs
• community centres
• children's centres
• allotments
• libraries

Full details are available on the Localism Act 2011 website.

What an ACV listing achieves

Listing an asset as an ACV prevents the asset owner from selling it for up to 5 years, without the nominating group being given the chance to bid for it; unless they are selling to another community interest group.

What an ACV listing does not achieve

Being listed as an ACV will not:

• stop the asset from closing - if the owner decides that the asset is no longer viable they have the right to close it 
• stop the owner from selling the asset
• force the asset owner to dispose of the asset if they were not already planning to sell
• reduce the price of the asset; it is up to the owner to decide how much they want for the asset
• oblige the owner to enter into any negotiations with you about your bid to purchase the asset
• give the nominating group preferential treatment in respect of their bid to purchase it 
• stop the owner from making a planning application to change the use

Listing as an ACV may be a consideration in the determination of a planning application, but it does not guarantee that the use will not change.

What information a nomination needs to contain

A nomination must contain:

• a description of the nominated land, including its proposed boundaries shown on a plan with the site or building outlined in red
• a statement of all the information the nominator has about the names of current occupants of the land
• a statement of all the information the nominator has about the names and current, or last known addresses of all those holding a freehold or leasehold estate in the land
• the nominator’s reasons for thinking that the council should conclude that the land is of community value
• evidence that the nominator is a not-for-private-profit organisation, for example: a charity or a community interest company, or an unincorporated community group (of at least 21 members) whose activities are wholly or partly concerned with the area where the proposed ACV is located

How to nominate an ACV

You can nominate land or a building in Croydon using our nomination form (Word, 57KB). Email your completed form to communityrelations@croydon.gov.uk.

How a nomination is assessed

We will acknowledge all nominations and must decide whether the nominated land or property should be included on our register of ACVs within 8 weeks of receiving a fully completed nomination.

An owner of land or property added to the ACV register has the right to ask us for a review of the decision.

The nominator has no right of appeal should the nomination be declined.

Selling a listed ACV 

We must be notified if an owner decides to dispose of a listed asset, either by selling or granting a lease for a long term. The nominating group, or any other eligible local group, will have 6 weeks to let us know that they wish to be considered a ‘preferred bidder’.

If eligible interest is expressed, the sale of the property will be delayed by an additional 4 and a half months to give the community an opportunity to raise funding and make an offer to purchase the property. The owner can continue the disposal if the buyer is a community interest group that would have been eligible to trigger the moratorium.

The owner will be free to sell the property if a group does not formally express and interest in being a preferred bidder within the 6 week period or if the subsequent purchase is not agreed within 6 months.

Download the preferred bidder form (Word, 51KB).

Register of ACVs in Croydon

The Croydon register combines both assets listed and assets where a nomination has been declined either by the council or at a subsequent review or appeal. We will update the list by removing ACVs after a 5 year period, as required by section 87(3) of the Localism Act.

Download the Croydon register of assets of community value (PDF, 140KB).

View the ACV decision notices relating to nominations made to us, which include the detailed reasons for our decisions.