A HISTORIC South Brent organisation has been disbanded as responsibility for one of the village’s iconic buildings is passed to the parish council.

At the most recent meeting of South Brent Parish Council one of the last trustees of the Toll House in Church Street asked the council to take on responsibility for the building, following the demise of South Brent Action and Community Group.

Paul Hedges told councillors that the group had no members and no subscriptions, and as such a meeting of ex-members had been organised where it was decided to wind it up, and offer the building and what funds remained to the parish council.

He added the building was insured until July 2017, and there was a number of people who had said they were prepared to become friends of the Toll House, that might assist with maintaining the building. It is currently in use as an information centre for the village.

Answering questions from councillors as to whether the arrangement would cost the council money, Mr Hedges said the building had been surveyed by Dick Everett a year ago, when no issues had been found. But he added that the Toll House was Grade II listed, and as such the owners have an obligation to maintain it.

Cllr Peter Kelly noted that a year ago the parish council had offered to take on responsibility for the building but had been rebuffed. Mr Hedges said at the time a few trustees had been against the idea, but had now ’seen the light’.

The council’s vice chairman Cllr Cathie Pannell said it was important to keep the Toll House in the right hands, and she believed those were the parish council’s.

The South Brent Action and Community Group was formed in the early 1970s in order to keep an eye on planning issues and development in the village. As such it had some successes and some failures, but remained active until the last few years.

The action group bought the Toll House on behalf of the village at the time of the sale of the lordship of South Brent. The group’s constitution stated that if wound up, its assets could be transferred to another community organisation.

Ownership by the parish council has certain advantages as the building can be insured along with the rest of the council’s estate, and VAT can be reclaimed.

The building is listed as an asset of community value, meaning it is subject to additional protection from development. If an ACV is put up for sale, the community is given time to try and raise the money to purchase it before it is sold on the open market.