What is the issue:
Scottish Borders Council is examining all its property holdings with a view to disposal to raise money. St Ronan’s Wells and gardens are one such property.
What is the St Ronan’s Wells Support Group:
We are a group of 11 local residents who are determined that The Wells becomes a community asset and are working hard towards this end.
Who else is involved:
The Innerleithen Community Trust is currently acting as our support group since we are not yet formally constituted.
What are your plans:
To acquire the building and gardens at St. Ronan’s Wells, Innerleithen by Asset Transfer from Scottish Borders Council for the benefit of the community.
What do you plan to do with the property:
The beautiful gardens will continue as before.
The building itself is already partitioned into living quarters and a medium sized hall. The former needs a complete make-over, but the hall is in good shape. It just needs a kitchen, and toilets need to be re-organised. The living area will be marketed as a short-term rental (e.g. Airbnb) and profits from this will fund the upkeep of the building and make the hall an affordable asset for the community. There is a real need for property like this in Innerleithen especially when the Mountain Biking Innovation Centre is completed.
It all sounds easy, but it isn’t, and it will need major community support and a lot of fund raising to make it happen.
Will there be a coffee shop:
Possibly but it may be difficult to integrate this into the available space. We will investigate.
Why not a long-term rental:
The income from short term accommodation can be up to 4x the income from long-term rentals.
Who owns St Ronan’s Wells?
St Ronan’s Wells and the surrounding land were sold to what was then Innerleithen Town Council in 1966 for £1.00. It then became the property of SBC. So, yes they do own it and can sell it, and they are legally obliged to get best value from the sale, although the definition of ‘best value’ is quite fluid!
Another group is interested in acquiring the property. Can they do this:
There is another group (Maiden Mother Crone) based in Hawick who wish to acquire the property. We have no idea of their plans. The Hawick group are legally entitled to bid for it as a community asset just as we are and SBC will need to consider both bids. However we need to make sure that it is a community asset, owned and run by the community.
What is the condition of the interior of the building:
Not as bad as you might think. The hall seems in good repair and well decorated. The living space needs a major overhaul, but seems dry and without major issues. The kitchen space and toilets need reorganising, and there are issues with the fire regulations. We will release photographs soon.
What is the time scale:
It can take up to 2 years to complete a community asset transfer: there are lots of forms and legal and financial issues.
Then the property needs to be renovated inside and out, and that could easily take another year.
What about finances:
This could easily cost £500,000 but we just don’t know any details yet. There will need to be major fund-raising activity.
I would like to help. What can I do:
At the moment the group needs a treasurer, but is otherwise functioning well. We will need major help once fundraising begins. Please send us your details.
Please also visit our Facebook page and become a follower.
What is happening currently:
We are at the stage of letting the community know what is happening, so everyone is aware of our plans. In the background, we are applying for a Project Viability Grant from the Architectural Heritage Foundation to have the property valued, develop a business plan and get architectural plans drawn up.
We are also applying to become a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) (St Ronan’s Wells Support Group) which will formalise our status. We have opened up lines of communication with other agencies that can help us.
What will happen when the charity is formed:
All local people will be invited to an open meeting and to become members of St Ronan’s Wells Support Group (just like a club). There probably won’t be a membership fee. The members will than elect trustees and committee members etc. who will report to them via annual meetings (or more frequently).
Who are the current members of the group:
Shirley Bean, Jan Cameron, Barbara Allan Jones, Chris Gilmore, Wilma Knox, Dorothy McKie, Sue Moncur, Alan Patterson, Dawn Patterson, Peter Routley and Anna Rutherford
Do you have a social media presence:
Yes, find us on
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583116971276
https://wellssupportgroup.org/
helpthewells@yahoo.com
Does council have a duty of care to repair the building before transfer (or make payment in lieu)
The council will probably sell it ‘as is’. The poorer the condition the less we pay! But it is early days yet: we are still in the stages of a preliminary consultation.
When will SBC announce the results of its consultation process:
SBC will meet in November to discuss all this. It will be a long meeting: SBC has a lot of properties! Then there will be more discussions.
Will the Wells Ceremony during Games Week continue:
Absolutely!
St Ronans Wells Support Group 