Right to buy talks on Hankelow chapel

Hankelow Parish Council is to consider listing the village Methodist chapel as a vital local asset to prevent the land being sold off to any future developers.

The council has asked for talks with Cheshire East over the possibility of nominating the building under the 'Community Right to Buy' scheme.

The Parish Council currently meets regularly in the Methodist Chapel schoolroom and the building is seen as a vital community asset.

Community Right to Buy was introduced in the Localism Bill in 2011 and gives local communities new powers to bid to take over land and buildings that they consider important to the community.

Communities can nominate any vital assets such as community centres, village shops or open spaces and, if any come up for sale, they have six months to raise funds and compete on the open market to buy and manage the local asset.

The idea is to help to keep vital local facilities open and increasing the self sufficiency of neighbourhoods.

Hankelow councillors are concerned that, in the longer term, the chapel could close and the land sold off for development.

Hankelow Parish Clerk has been asked to contact Cheshire East Council to make enquiries about the process.

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