St Ronans Wells Support Group SCIO

The group has received this from Erin Coltman, Participation Officer, Communities and Partnerships Team, Scottish Borders Council. Erin is our interface to SBC and always been very helpful.

Hi Chris, 

I’m writing to provide an update on the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) process for St Ronan’s Wells and to confirm the revised timeline we will be working to.

Following internal discussions, and in recognition of the work both interested groups are undertaking, the Council has reviewed the originally proposed deadline of 31 March 2026. While we remain mindful of the building’s condition, value, and the need to plan for alternative routes should a CAT not proceed, we also want to ensure that both groups have the information required to prepare strong and informed requests in line with the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.

To support this, we have commissioned a valuation of the building. The District Valuer was unable to complete this within a reasonable timeframe, so an external commercial valuer has been engaged and will provide a valuation in the coming weeks. This should give you essential clarity for planning and will also support the Council in considering its options should a CAT not progress.

As the valuation will be available closer to the original deadline, we are extending the deadline for CAT submissions to 30 April 2026. This is intended to ensure both groups can take account of the valuation in their proposals.

If no CAT request has been received by 30 April 2026, we will likely begin preparations to market the building for sale. You are still very welcome to submit a CAT request after this date, however, the protections provided under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 apply only where a validated request is in place before the local authority has taken steps to market the asset. Once the asset has entered the marketing process, the Act does not prevent the local authority from progressing with a sale, even if a CAT request is submitted thereafter.

If you have any questions about the above, please feel free to drop me an email in reply. 

Kind regards, 
Erin

This is good news: we know exactly where we stand, and the scheduled is tight but manageable. Watch this space!