Monday 24 January 2011

Half a House: Reading Room

This is a suggestion, put forward by an ex-Parish Councillor from a local village. We think it deserves consideration.

Convert the Reading Room into a house, for rent at current rates eg £400/month. Allow a young couple in the village to do some of that conversion work - the village funds materials, the young couple fund labour.

Then rent "desres" to said local couple for a 3-5 yr tenure on the understanding that:


a) they save as much as they can during the tenure
b) 50% of the rent they have paid will be used to match-fund their savings at the end of the tenure to create a deposit for a local house purchase or mortgage
c) the Reading Room is left as a rentable and desirable property for the next young couple whilst still remaining a village asset

Or we could just sell the Reading Room without offering options to our children or using the equity that so many of us are lucky to have, for the next generation's benefit. Or, as I was told on my doorstep this evening, we could lose the Reading Room for now and ever to the Charities Commission in London, who will sell it and pocket the money.

Our scheme is called "Half a House". Should we consider adopting it before we lose an invaluable part of Warcop's past and future?

Your thoughts please.

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