Watlington shop asset listing fails but group still wants to buy it
The Watlington Community Property Limited is progressing its ideas
Treasurer Kevin Senior, secretary Steph Van de Pette and chair Robin Fieth outside the Watlington Arcade
A BID to list a property in Watlington as an asset for community value has been turned down.
Watlington Community Property wanted to list No 2 High Street, which is currently under offer, to protect it from unwanted development.
Phil Barker, the director of communities for the district council, said: “The letting policy was provided and it outlines how the group will manage any future letting.
“It mentions the group’s objectives but without the governing document in view, it is unclear what those objectives and aims are or if they will meet the social well-being or social interests of the local community.
“Although the nominator has demonstrated how they will look to raise funds and manage the building in the future, they have not demonstrated how the building could further the social well-being or social interests of the local community.
“The nature of the nomination seems more aimed towards an interest in commercial stores for the community, rather than commercial stores for the benefit of social wellbeing or social interests for the community.”
Bella Luce lighting, which was in the building, closed at the end of January and members of the group want to buy it to determine how it is used in the future.
Steph Van de Pette, of Spring Lane, has lived in Watlington for about 11 years and owns SO Sustainable in High Street.
She set up her zero-waste refill shop in 2019 next door to Bella Luce.
Mrs Van de Pette is the secretary for the group, founding it with John Riddell, who owns the Spire and Spoke pub in Hill Lane, and Jess Carlisle, whose father Mark owned the building before he died last year.
The trio are now part of a management committee, including Robin Fieth, who chairs the committee and Kevin Senior, who is their treasurer.
Previously, the trust was seeking about £250,000 to buy the property but now it wants to buy two more in High Street — No 6, known as the Watlington Arcade, and No 26, which is a former bicycle repair shop.
The total cost, if the group bought all three, would be about £600,000.
The group said it has acquired about £281,000 in pledges so far and is currently waiting for its registration to be confirmed under the Financial Conduct Authority, so they can open a bank account and progress to formal share offers.
The group is also being supported by Plunkett UK, based in Woodstock, a charity which supports people who live in rural areas to set up and run businesses in community ownership.
Mr Fieth told the Henley Standard that while there is an offer on No 2, if it’s successful, it wouldn’t be the end of the project.
He said: “If the offer for Number 2 goes through, that’s not it for the project, it would just be it for that particular building.
“This idea that we can support the future of independent retail in Watlington, which is a fabulous place to be and live in, by effectively acquiring some of the freeholds and becoming the landlord for those premises in a way that works well for them and for the community, it is just a brilliant opportunity.”
Mrs Van de Pette said: “I think the far greater risk is that we don’t do anything and then the High Street just declines.
“If we owned these properties, we wouldn’t want them to be stood empty. There’s a really important point about having the ability to curate the High Street.
“They usually work well when you’re able to have a say over having businesses that don’t directly compete with existing ones and can fill gaps in our High Street.
“You can support those discussions if you have some form of control. I don’t see this as a risk, I see it as an opportunity.”
