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Special, Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 17th December, 2024 6.30 pm

December 17, 2024 View on council website Watch video of meeting
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Summary

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be reviewing the decision of Elmbridge Council's Cabinet to sell Weybridge Hall. The documents also show that the Committee will be asked to consider whether to ask the Cabinet to reconsider the sale, refer the sale to the full Council for further discussion, or take no action, allowing the sale to go ahead.

Sale of Weybridge Hall

Six Councillors have requested that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee review the Cabinet's decision to sell Weybridge Hall to the Equippers Church. A report provided for the meeting indicates that the Cabinet decided to sell Weybridge Hall for £1,200,000 on 20th November 2024. The same report explains that the Council received several offers for the property, including one for £1,225,000, which was rejected in favour of the Equippers Church's offer. The report states that this was because the higher offer would have seen the ground floor of the building leased to a new starter gym operator, which would have represented a significant risk given the costs to fit-out and that they had no financial track record. Councillor Simon Waugh, the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Commercial Strategy, told the meeting that a restrictive covenant would be added to the building's deeds. This means that the building can only be used for uses considered to have a leisure / community use that provides an active frontage. The six Councillors who called the decision in, Councillor Harrison Allman-Varty, Councillor Hilary Butler, Councillor John Cope, Councillor Katerina Lusk, Councillor Colin McFarlane, and Councillor Corinne Sterry, argue that the decision should be reviewed to enable a discussion by all Councillors of the decision to sell Weybridge Hall. They say that There has been little, if any, consultation including with all Weybridge councillors. and that the sale should receive full, open, and transparent consideration. In the report prepared for the meeting, Elmbridge Council officers state that Ward Councillors have engaged positively in the principle of the sale to the Equippers Church. A brochure produced by the Equippers Church indicates that the church intends to spend approximately £3,000,000 refurbishing the building. Their plans for the building include:

  • A two-tiered auditorium [that] would be restored to seat 300-400 people
  • [Studios for] midweek meetings / workshops for mental health, wellbeing, marriage counselling meetings and youth gatherings
  • Space for hire for weddings, birthday parties, exercise classes, art exhibitions and other community uses The brochure states that the church will also run a ‘shuttle service’ to/from the train station to encourage park & ride for attendees of the church's services. The report prepared for the Cabinet meeting claims that the Equippers Church will bring significant added value to local businesses in Weybridge. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee may choose to ask the Cabinet to reconsider the sale or refer the decision to the full Council for a final decision.

Attendees

Profile image for CouncillorHarrison Allman-Varty
CouncillorHarrison Allman-Varty  Reform UK •  Oatlands and Burwood Park
Profile image for CouncillorPeter Harman
CouncillorPeter Harman  Weybridge & St. George's Independents •  Weybridge St Georges Hill
Profile image for CouncillorSimon Waugh
CouncillorSimon Waugh  Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Commercial Strategy •  Esher Residents' Association •  Esher
Matthew Clarke
Tammy Beard
Dawn Crewe
Stuart La Frenais
Leandra Hickson-Leigh
Victoria Statham
Profile image for CouncillorJohn Cope
CouncillorJohn Cope  Conservative •  Oatlands and Burwood Park
Profile image for CouncillorPippa Graeme
CouncillorPippa Graeme  Liberal Democrats •  Weybridge St Georges Hill
Profile image for CouncillorAndrew Burley
CouncillorAndrew Burley  Conservative •  Oxshott and Stoke D'Abernon
Profile image for CouncillorJames Crawshaw
CouncillorJames Crawshaw  Hinchley Wood Residents' Association •  Hinchley Wood and Weston Green
Profile image for CouncillorNick Dodds
CouncillorNick Dodds  Liberal Democrats •  Walton North
Profile image for CouncillorRichard Flatau
CouncillorRichard Flatau  Liberal Democrats •  Molesey East
Profile image for CouncillorPat Gormley
CouncillorPat Gormley  Molesey Residents' Association •  Molesey West
Profile image for CouncillorTony Popham
CouncillorTony Popham  Molesey Residents' Association •  Molesey West
Profile image for CouncillorHelgi Joensen
CouncillorHelgi Joensen  Liberal Democrats •  Weybridge Riverside
Profile image for CouncillorJoshua Lambert
CouncillorJoshua Lambert  Liberal Democrats •  Walton North
Profile image for CouncillorSimon Leifer
CouncillorSimon Leifer  Esher Residents Association •  Esher
Profile image for CouncillorJohn O'Reilly
CouncillorJohn O'Reilly  Conservative •  Hersham Village
Profile image for CouncillorAlistair Price
CouncillorAlistair Price  Liberal Democrats •  Walton South
Profile image for CouncillorKevin Whincup
CouncillorKevin Whincup  Liberal Democrats •  Molesey East

Topics

No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.

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