Assets of Community Value

Assets of Community Value are buildings or land in our area that we consider:

• improve (or have improved in the recent past) the social wellbeing or interests of the local community; and
• are capable of being used to further the social wellbeing of the local community in the next five years.

Land or buildings can only be successfully nominated where the main use improves the social wellbeing of the community.

Privately and publically owned properties can be nominated. Examples include pubs, community centres, village shops, libraries and allotments.

Properties that cannot be listed include residential properties and gardens, outbuildings and other land associated with them, caravan sites and key road, canal and rail networks.

The full Assets of Community Value Regulations (2012) are available online.

Only members of the following groups can nominate ACVs (see our  Nomination Form Guidance [313.32KB] for definitions):

1. Parish Councils
2. Neighbouring Parish Councils
3. 'Unincorporated Groups'
4. Neighbourhood Forums
5. Community Interest Groups with a local connection.

How to nominate

To nominate a building or land for an ACV, complete our  Nomination Form [80.55KB] using the Guidance Notes [313.32KB] and return the form to communityassets@guildford.gov.uk.

To provide confirmation of their status, applicants submitting nominations on behalf of parish councils are also asked for:

• an appropriately signed or headed covering letter and;
• proof that the parish council has agreed to nominate the asset in accordance with its procedures. For example, the minutes of a parish council meeting where a vote was taken to nominate the asset

We will make a decision after consulting those involved, including the landowner, any freehold or leaseholders and the parish council. Please note that we are required to share application information, including nomination forms, with statutory consultees. Contact details included on completed nomination forms will only be removed at the applicant's request.

After your nomination form has been checked to make sure it's complete, we will let you know of our decision within eight weeks.

The result will be published on our website, whether it is successful or unsuccessful.

Landowners who are unhappy with our decision to list their property as an ACV can request an internal review within eight weeks of hearing the decision.

A senior officer independent from the original decision process will carry out a review.

If the landowner is still unhappy after the review, an appeal can be lodged to the general regulatory chamber of the First Tier Tribunal. The deadline for appealing is 28 days from the date on which notice of the review decision was sent to the owner.

What happens if a landowner wishes to sell an ACV?

• Landowners of ACVs must tell us if they intend to sell the property.
• We will tell the nominating organisation that the landowner wishes to sell.
• If a landowner tells us they intend to sell an ACV, a six week 'interim moratorium' period will be triggered.
• During this six-week period, the landowner cannot sell the ACV and the nominating organisation must state their intention if they want to bid for it.
• If the nominating organisation does not tell us during the 'interim moratorium' period that they wish to buy the ACV, the landowner will be free to sell the asset once the six weeks is over.

If a nominating organisation indicates within the first six weeks that they want to buy the ACV, a full moratorium will be triggered. This period:

• will last six months from the date we were first told of the landowner's intention to sell.
• is designed to help the nominating organisation raise the funds to buy the ACV. During this time the landowner cannot sell the ACV.

The landowner can keep the ACV or sell it to their preferred bidder after this six month period. They are not required at any stage to sell the asset to the nominating organisation.

After the end of the six month period, a protected period starts when there cannot be any more moratoriums. This lasts 18 months from the time that the owner told us they wanted to sell the ACV.