Quote; "A dilapidated community centre site has gone on the market for £300,000.
Harefield Community Centre was transferred to West Itchen Community Trust (WICT) by Southampton City Council for £1 in 2020. The site in Yeovil Chase is overgrown, with the building itself, which has been closed for more than 10 years, subject to graffiti and vandalism. Earlier this year, it was heard at a council meeting that there was no clause to buy the site back for £1. The local authority has confirmed it has no plans to purchase Harefield Community Centre. It is understood WICT is permitted to sell the site provided the proceeds are reinvested in other facilities. The 1.27-acre community centre site is being listed by property consultancy Vail Williams, with is described as suitable for development, subject to planning or community use. The listing says the property is a “derelict former single storey community centre, which is likely to be of interest to mixed use developers or for community or education use. Harefield ward Conservative councillor Peter Baillie, who raised the site’s future in the council chamber in July, said: “It is utterly outrageous the council sold it for £1 several years ago but does not have a clause to by it back for £1. Instead, it has to buy it as the free market value of around £300,000. Had the council been able to buy it back we would not be in this position. It is a disastrous legal state for the council to have got itself in. It is a warning that it must be sharper on its legal clauses because this has led to unintended consequences.” Cllr Baillie said he would like to see some sort of community centre available for residents to use to return to the site. He added: “Whether that is going to be possible, we do not know.”: https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/25459740.community-centre-council-transferred-1-market-300-000/
Also councillors had the community known that the centre would be put on the market for development there would have been greater interest shown in protecting it as a resource. When SO18 Big Local was running it was thought that the provisos given regarding possible future use of the site precluded it from falling into public hands. This is far from surprising as the landlord was titled a "community trust", neither is it surprising that the narrative concerning the administration and future use of the site espoused by the (financially) interested parties involved is (to say the least) inconsistent, quote; "Dear Gerald,
Thank you for your email about Harefield Community Centre and for sharing your concerns about the future of the site. I appreciate how strongly local people feel about this issue.
By way of background, the centre had not been in use for many years when, in 2017, it was transferred to West Itchen Community Trust (WICT) along with six other community centres. As part of that transfer, WICT were permitted to dispose of the Harefield site*, but any resources raised are legally required to be reinvested into the six remaining centres. The Leader of the Council is due to meet with WICT shortly to remind them of this obligation and to ensure it is fulfilled.
Since the centre closed in 2010 when there was no alternative group to run it, the site has unfortunately fallen into disrepair and become subject to vandalism. But I know there are different views locally on what should now happen. Some residents are keen to see a new community use, while others, particularly those living nearby, simply want the site redeveloped. It is also a difficult site to work with, given the number of tree preservation orders, although WICT did purchase an adjacent piece of land which could potentially be used as a woodland play area.
I understand how frustrating this situation is for residents who feel Harefield has been left behind. I am seeking assurance from the Council that they will be holding WICT to account for their legal obligations, and I am following this matter closely. I will also ask colleagues to update me following the upcoming meeting with WICT so I can provide you with clarity on the next steps." Thursday, 25 September 2025 at 16:22:44 BST, Darren Paffey MP <darren.paffey.mp@parliament.uk
*Italics mine. Nb. quote; "West Itchen Community Trust took ownership of the building in February 2020 from Southampton City Council.
The trust, which runs other community hubs in Northam and St Mary’s, has been forced to halt investment in the site due to "financial pressures caused by the pandemic".
Chief Executive Rick Harwood said: “When we took on the centre in February 2020, it had been empty and in a state of dilapidation for possibly five years or more when it was owned by the council.
“Unfortunately, the impact of COVID decimated our business, being a charity and a social enterprise with a number of commercial buildings, and our income was decimated.
“Our team ended up, over the last year or two going down from seven full-time equivalents to almost just myself, trying to run things and get us through it.": https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23353437.harefield-community-centre-left-state-neglect-decade/
Nb. the Echo had already covered this story and were well aware that the suspicion was that the site had been deliberately neglected in order to facilitate its sale for private development also, quote: "Further to Darren..having spoken with residents it is clear that it was private parties and the permanent alcohol license to which they most objected...I sat on the Environment Forum as a City Farm Rep. the city farm only uses an event license..I would encourage greater community use and the same policy for Harefield.
I voiced such two years ago.
Not only are there tree preservation orders in force regarding a number of the trees on the site only a week or so ago a badger ran in front of me across Yeovil Chase on my return from the swimming pool (the very first time I've actually seen a wild badger) and disappeared under the fence onto the community centre site. If there are setts (& this shouldn't surprise anyone the site covers 1.2 acres a lot of which is overgrown woodland) on the site the owner is subject to certain legal obligations, quote; "Badgers and their setts (tunnels and chambers where they live) are protected by law.
You may be able to get a licence from Natural England if you can’t avoid disturbing badgers in their sett or damaging their sett.
What you must not do
You could be sent to prison for up to 6 months and get an unlimited fine if you’re found guilty of any of these offences:
- intentionally capture, kill or injure a badger
- damage, destroy or block access to their setts
- disturb badgers in setts
- treat a badger cruelly
- deliberately send or intentionally allow a dog into a sett
- bait or dig for badgers
You’re breaking the law and could get an unlimited fine if you:
- have or sell a badger, or offer a live badger for sale
- have or possess a dead badger or parts of a badger (if you got it illegally)
- mark or attach a marking device to a badger
Activities that can harm badgers
Activities that can affect badgers include:
- destroying or damaging their setts
- noise, additional lighting or vibration
- pile driving
- quarry blasting
- lighting fires
- using chemicals
- excavation
- ploughing and harvesting crops
- tree felling and timber extraction
- construction or repair of flood defences or watercourses
When you’ll need a licence
In most cases you should be able to avoid disturbing badgers and damaging or blocking access to their sett.
If you can’t avoid this, you can apply for a licence to interfere with a sett from Natural England. You’ll need to show you’ve tried everything else possible to avoid affecting badgers.
You’ll need expert help with your licence application if it’s for a development project. Find out what type of survey and mitigation methods will be needed to support a planning application.": https://www.gov.uk/guidance/badgers-protection-surveys-and-licences
There was another witness, a man out walking his dog saw it too.
As I mention in the previous "Arafel" article; "Having been a representative for the (former), city farm on the (former), “Environment Forum”, here in Southampton, I know full well that projects which include a measure of; horticulture, mental health promotion, community food provision, education and that offer opportunities for networking with other community groups, institutions and NGOs are a tremendous asset to any community and as such offer alternatives to delinquency for local kids and provide havens and extra resources for hard-pressed parents.
Quote; "The Farm was formed in 1992 and was the amalgamation of Southampton City Farm and Millbrook School Rural Science Unit which became Down to Earth Farm. It has been a City farm since 1976, with a horticultural route for the site dating back to 1936. In 2008, Oasis Community Learning (part of Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill), took over the running of the farm from Southampton City council. In 2020, the farm changed its name back to Southampton City Farm .
The farm now tends to Approx. 1.2 hectares of workable land alongside the community building and other buildings which facilitate the programs we run throughout the week. The land is mostly devoted to grazing areas for the animals, with a horticultural area at the western end of the site, where we grow a diverse crop to feed the animals and to provide ingredients for the kitchen.": https://www.southamptoncityfarm.com/a-brief-history.html
The school farm and city farm amalgamated during my period of involvement (other than being a forum representative I twice held the volunteer post of “growing area supervisor”, once for the city farm and once for the amalgamated project). The project includes sustainable energy systems, organic agriculture and educational resources, quote; "We run an award-winning educational programme at the farm for children of all ages. The programme is easily accessible, and can be altered for any age or curriculum level.
We believe in offering an exciting and enjoyable learning experience, and our structured tours and lessons engage children with the animals, plants, and natural environment. Our passionate staff are experienced, knowledgeable and have huge enthusiasm towards education, and will deliver the best learning experience on a unique city farm setting.
We have found that the farm often brings out a side to young people rarely seen in the class room, offering opportunities for team work, leadership, problem solving, social development and self awareness.
Although we have been educating pupils at the farm for many years, we ensure that each educational tour is unique, perfectly tailored to your class, and easily adapted to support the National Curriculum for Nursery, Reception, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 classes*.
City Farm
The project’s achievements speak for themselves. I, therefore, ask myself how it is that to the west of the city a community project is thriving and represents one of the jewels in Southampton’s civic crown but to the east the community infrastructure is being allowed to fall to wrack and ruin.": https://www.arafel.co.uk/2023/01/harefield-community-centre-disgrace.html
*italics mine.
https://www.southamptoncityfarm.com/events-and-workshops.html
It looks very much as if the community has at least been misinformed and misled (either deliberately or by omission -and therefore as a dereliction of duty-) by Southampton Unitary Authority.
We the people, therefore, demand our right to be heard and suggest that SUA review/investigate the mechanisms by which this parlous state of affairs (& massive the imbalance in provision in the city as Southampton City Farm is located towards the south eastern boundary and Harefield Community Centre sits on the north western) came to be!
https://www.facebook.com/WICTSOUTHAMPTON/
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