Forum fights back

Thursday, 29 October 2009

Hill asking price is unrealistic

Hannah Mlatem

COMMUNITY leaders have criticised comments made by the principal of Coleg Gwent claiming his reason for not accepting a popular proposal for the future use of The Hill is unacceptable.
In last week’s Chronicle, Howard Burton said a bid received from Dr Olinga Ta’aeed, of Mulberry House, was rejected because it was less than the asking price for the former college.
Members of the Bryn y Cwm Forum however says that Coleg Gwent’s opinion of site value for The Hill is “over optimistic and possibly unattainable.”
Dr Olinga Ta’eed, chairman of the board of trustees at Ty’r Morwydd Mulberry House, the countywide based charity which runs a residential environmental study centre in Abergavenny for schools, colleges and universities in the UK, put forward two proposals which included a ballet school at The Hill education and conference centre, a 20 acre site which closed in August.
The bids would allow the mental health service and community to continue caring for the site’s Victorian walled garden.
However, their bid fell short of the asking price by Coleg Gwent. Principal Howard Burton said the college needed to maximise the capital receipt from The Hill and plough money back in to Coleg Gwent.
Mr Burton would not reveal the asking price, stating it was “commercially sensitive.”
The Bryn y Cwm Forum told the Chronicle, “Since the public meeting organised by the Forum in June, we have been active in responding to the presentation given at the meeting by Howard Burton, seeking answers to questions and the resolutions which arose from that meeting, and comparing his replies with statements from Monmouthshire County Council.
“At this moment Coleg Gwent have failed to answer basic questions on site valuations and development intentions. “Written responses from Howard Burton are inconsistent with public statements, and there is a fundamental mismatch in the explanations offered by both authorities with respect to the value of the land swap transactions.
“There is an unwillingness to release copies of the original covenant and the community is entitled to be concerned about the lack of facts surrounding this agreement.
“Whilst these matters may one day be subject to public audit and possible judicial review, the Forum is keen to avoid this and to explore any option that retains The Hill Campus in educational and community use.
“This position assumes that there is no reason to remove the existing covenant. The covenant in the contract of sale stating that the property should be used for educational purposes is the key element to creating a development brief acceptable to the local community.
“In facilitating public discussion the Community Forum is hoping that Coleg Gwent can be persuaded to retain that commitment to the community.
“Mr Burton’s statement that Dr. Olinga Ta’eed’s ‘imaginative plans’ were declined because his price offer “was considerably less than our own independent valuation” deserves examination.
Coleg Gwent has failed to describe its development plans, whether for demolition, land sale or partial redevelopment. Monmouthshire County Council has already admitted publicly their serious doubts about the development potential.
The majority of the site is within a “Conservation Area” with serious limitations on any possible development potential. That portion of the site which is not in the Conservation Area is outside the Town Development Boundary where development will not be currently permitted.
“Accordingly Coleg Gwent’s own independent valuation can only be based on a hypothetical assessment that assumes undefined planning approvals that cannot be guaranteed. There is every reason to believe that Coleg Gwent’s opinion of site value is therefore over optimistic, possibly unattainable. The hypothetical value of the property is the only stated reason for declining the Mulberry House Trustees offer.
An offer, which not only allows the property to continue as a community and educational facility, but has the opportunity to develop a Welsh Ballet School. Howard Burton describes the Mulberry House proposals as imaginative. The Community Forum also has a preference for an imaginative future for the Hill which ideally would bring together private, public and community resources.”
The Forum has invited Dr. Olinga Ta’eed, with other community schemes, to present their plans to a meeting on November 12.

Email: hanna@tindlenews.co,uk

---

Be the first to comment using the form below.

Submit your comment below :
Your Name (required) :

Your Email*(required) :

Your Location (required) :

Your Comment (required) :

Maximum Number of characters for this text box is 400.

You have 400 characters remaining for your description...

I agree to the terms and conditions and comment rules (required) :

The Abergavenny Chronicle may not publish all comments.
Your comments may be published on any Tindle Newspaper Ltd. media.
*Your email address will not be displayed.

Enter the code as it is shown below (required):