5th January 2023 Dartmouth Town Council
At the December Full Council meeting, the Town Council voted unanimously to put the Ivy Lane building on the open market with a view to selling it.
Ivy Lane was transferred to Dartmouth Town Council from Devon County Council in 2017, on the understanding that it would be used for the good of the Community, however, the Town Council has always struggled to find any community organisations to use the building and have to cover its running costs. Currently there is one tenant in an upstairs office and it is used one evening a week by the Dartmouth Youth Group. This level of usage does not cover the building running costs of £6,500 a year. It is estimated that the building has cost the town over £40,000 since it was transferred. Numerous attempts have been made to find more tenants for the building but with no success.
Dartmouth Town Council receives less than half the annual revenue it needs to function from the annual council tax precept. The larger proportion of revenue has to come from assets owned by the Town Council and it is sadly impossible to sustain loss making assets indefinitely.
Therefore, the difficult decision has been made to put the Ivy Lane building up for sale. Legally the proceeds from any sale of a council building must be used for capital projects. In addition Ivy Lane came with a covenant that the proceeds of any sale would have to be used for the benefit of the Dartmouth Community and monies raised from the sale will be ringfenced for this purpose.
The Town Council will give a long notice period to the affected tenant and the youth group who currently use this building, they will also make every effort to support them in finding an alternative premises.
Enquiries about Ivy Lane should be directed to DTC Properties Manager Richard Roberts on 01803 832281 or propertiesmanager@dartmouthtowncouncil.gov.uk