Plans to sell Conygre House in Filton are to move forward after feasibility studies showed that it would not be possible to retain it as a sustainable community facility.
South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) says it has worked closely with community group the Friends of Conygre House to consider options to retain the house for the local community after it was vacated by its previous tenants.
However, despite extensive work by the Friends group including a detailed feasibility study, none of the options were found to be capable of delivering a long term, financially sustainable project.
South Gloucestershire Council Director of Corporate Resources Dave Perry said:
“The Friends of Conygre House have worked tirelessly to identify options to retain the house for the local community and the council has been very supportive of this work.”
“We are all disappointed that it was not possible to identify a financially sustainable approach to retaining the house but having exhausted all options we must now move forward with its sale.”
“We are very grateful to the Friends group for all the hard work they have put into this project, but are sure they will continue to work locally for the benefit of the community.”
Vice Chair of the Friends of Conygre House Tony Blake said:
“The Friends of Conygre House appreciate the work and commitment that South Gloucestershire Council have put into the Conygre House project.”
“For the past three years the Council and its officers have worked with us in a positive and friendly manner. And I do not think it is a reflection on either the Friends, or South Gloucestershire that we could not achieve our ambition of creating a Community Centre in Conygre, rather a reflection of these austere times.”
Rumours had previously been circulating that SGC planned to sell Conygre House to Merlin Housing Society for around £350k, possibly to be redeveloped as student flats, but this was categorically denied by Filton District Councillor Adam Monk at a meeting of Filton Town Council in July.
Earlier this week, Filton Voice reported that Merlin had confirmed it has never been in talks to purchase the property.
Filton Town Council previously gave the Friends of Conygre House £1,500 for a feasibility study into possible future uses for the house.
Cllr Monk told the July Town Council meeting that the Conygre House site would be offered for sale “on condition that the house will stay” but this has yet to be confirmed by South Gloucestershire Council.
A feasibility study no one has seen on Filton council or the public as was confirmed recently has cost Filton taxpayers a wasted £1500. Filton taxpayers deserve to know who received this money when it was blatantly clear it was a non starter even before they had the money. The ideas were it could be a post office or polling station!
Filton Labour party were irresponsible in handing over the money to their Labour member colleague and ex councillor Tony Blake, without a second thought. A poor vote winning attemp
Will save conygre house now reimburse Filton council from any remaining funds they have from fund raising?
Filton council need to examine their wreckless grant process.
What a complete waste of £1500 by Filton Labour party, who handed Mr Blake a chq from council funds and they have NEVER seen the report!!
Everyone knew this was a no go and those Filton Labour councillors who were sold on a verbal spouting of nonsense by Mr Blake without any firm figures or reports is awful.
He promised to provide monthly reports to council and was never seen again!
Can we see the receipts please for the report and be told who wrote it and who got paid and lets see what the £1500 report says because I could have written it on the back of a fag packet, one line… “No goer”!
A community centre for Conygre!? How ridiculous. There a Filton community centre a stones throw away which is financially suffering and going under so why have another in Conygre.
I agree with FiltonIndependentPart on the £1500 waste of money handed over by naive councillors of Labour to their Labour member friend Tony Blake.
Filton council had a chance to move in as their offices and shunned it for a plush new £100,000 office for their thre staff, self indulgence at its worst.
Filton council have never chased this up and may as well put the money over the bar in the ratepayers for Labour councillors to enjoy!
Filton Labour party should pack up and go to another town and waste their money instead of ours.
Catchup article in The Bristol Post today:
Historic house going up for sale as community use proves too costly
Council meeting was Tuesday and there were about 5 stories of interest the journal could have published in the public interest? seems the journal only goes for “soft” stories?
Labour South Glos Councillor Roger Hutchinson, calling a resident a liar during heated debate about a bus shelter and being rude to elderly resident of Springifled house, fields in trust application going nowhere, filton voice magazine costs questioned? Take your pick Filton Journo?
Conygre house presentation was a complete joke, a verbal treat of mumbo jumbo all boiling down to one thing, they wasted £1500, and the outcome was what every resident told then when they asked for the money originally, it was not viable. It proved that Labour in Filton are a complete Joke.
The Journal needs to publish the real world of Filton not the fluffy one it seems to lean toward?