Certain community and voluntary organisations have the right by law to nominate local land or buildings to be included in a list of assets of community value.

If the owner of a listed asset wants to sell it, they must let us know first. An initial period of six weeks is then given for local community groups to register an interest in making a bid to buy.

If an interest is registered by an eligible voluntary or community body, the asset cannot be sold for six months. This gives time for a proposal to be developed and capital to be raised to bid when the asset comes onto the open market at the end of that period.

What counts as "community value"?

• the main use of the asset (currently or in the past) furthers the social wellbeing or cultural, recreational or sporting interests of the community
• it will continue to further the social wellbeing or interests of the local community, or will do so again in the next five years

Examples could include:

• shops
• community centres
• playing fields

Examples cannot include:

• buildings used as administrative offices
• land or property where community use isn’t the main function

Bidding for community value land/buildings

Who can make a bid?

• unincorporated bodies with at least 21 local individual members who appear on the electoral roll for Barking and Dagenham or a neighbouring local authority, and which do not distribute any surplus they make to their members
• charities
• companies limited by guarantee that do not distribute any surplus they make to their members
• industrial and provident societies that do not distribute any surplus they make to their members
• community interest companies
• neighbourhood forums, as designated under the Town and Country Planning Act

Make a bid 

Groups must send us a completed intention to bid form within six weeks of the notice to dispose of the asset.

This intention may only be submitted by a suitably constituted community interest group that can demonstrate its local connection.

CRTB intention to bid form (DOCX, 36.90 KB)

The intention to bid should be submitted in writing together with evidence to support that the bid is being made by a suitably constituted group.

We advise nominators to obtain proof of delivery, either by using recorded receipt postage or by obtaining a receipt for hand-delivered post.

We will pass the intention to bid to the owner of the land, or inform them of the details, as soon as possible after receipt. This will trigger the full six month moratorium period during which the asset cannot be sold.

Nominating land/ a building for community value

How to nominate 

CRTB nomination form (DOCX) (DOCX, 39.51 KB)

CRTB nomination form (PDF, 87.85 KB)

Nominations must include:

• a description of the asset, including its proposed boundaries clearly marked in red
• information you may have about the current occupiers’ names, and the names and addresses of all those holding a freehold or leasehold estate in the land
• why you think the land is of community value
• proof that you are eligible to make a nomination
• a completed asset nomination form

What happens next?

We have eight weeks from receipt of an application to contact your organisation. We will tell you if the asset meets the definition set out in law, or if it falls into one of the excluded categories.

We will contact the nominee with our decisions and reasons, and the details will be published on our list of assets of community value.

Disposing of land/a building that has community value 

If an owner wishes to dispose of an asset that is included in the list of assets of community value and it is not an exempt disposal, they must notify us in writing.

Assets Team (Community Rights)

Barking Town Hall, 1 Town Square, Barking IG11 7LU

communityrights@lbbd.gov.uk