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09
Mar
Harrogate community centre ‘not up for sale’, charity says
A recently closed Harrogate community centre is not up for sale, says the charity in charge of the building.
St George’s Community Centre closed its doors permanently in December due to financial constraints after an emergency meeting was held by the committee.
The centre on Mornington Terrace consists of a main hall and a side room and has been run as a charity since the 1980s.
The Stray Ferret reported in November that a campaign had been started to try to save the centre by many of the people who rented out rooms there to conduct their businesses.
Chris Battersby, former treasurer/secretary and trustee of the community centre, told the Stray Ferret this week that there were concerns the site could be sold.
He said:
I’ve had to give it a break in my head and move onto something else because it was starting to really affect me.
I think they just want to knock the building down and sell the land off.
They gave the reason for closure that they couldn’t afford to keep the building running, but when I stepped down as treasurer/secretary we were completely financially stable.
However, Mr Battersby did acknowledge that he had not seen any notices of purchase or demolition since the building was closed.
The Stray Ferret put the concerns to the committee of St George's Community Centre.
A spokesperson said the committee was "exploring avenues" to ensure the centre could continue as an "asset to the community".
They added:
Whilst the charity has maintained it’s cash reserve, the committee actions are designed to protect this.
Closure was a position the committee were forced into due to the drastically increased costs of not only running but also maintaining the centre. The electricity and gas contracts have increased to such an extent it had become unviable to continue and ensure protection of the charity reserves.
It is also a large building needing substantial repairs and refurbishment to ensure it is appropriate and safe for use.
The centre is not for sale, the committee are currently working hard to explore avenues ensuring the centre can continue as an asset to the community whilst also protecting the charities assets.
The spokesperson added that they had been in contact with a legal adviser throughout the entire process, and that correct procedure “had and continues to be followed at all times both in terms of closure and meeting the legal obligations of running as a charity in line with the charity commission requirements”.
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