Wade’s Charity owns a significant amount of land and property in Leeds, including Middleton Park, Gott’s Park, Snake Lane Recreation Ground, Woodhouse Square and Gott’s Mansion.
The Council leases a number of these facilities on 999 year leases with managerial and maintenance responsibility. This partnership has helped meet the charity’s primary objectives of providing and maintaining open spaces for the benefit and recreation or health of the inhabitants of Leeds.
The major recommendation of a report to be considered by the Council’s Executive Board this Wednesday is to approve equal sharing of any capital receipts from the future disposal of assets owned by Wade’s Charity.
Wade’s contributed £287k to the recent extensive improvement scheme to Middleton Park; the Council’s contributed £125k.
Wade’s Charity has identified two sites that it would like to consider for disposal to help fund future investment in its retained estate. One of these is the remaining cottages at Middleton Park in Middleton Park ward.
Another site identified for potential disposal at some future point is Throstle Recreation Ground also in Middleton Park ward
Wade’s has indicated that its most pressing priority is Gott’s Park and the report suggests an improvement scheme is developed for Gotts Park.
South Leeds Life readers will recall that the golf courses at both Gotts Park and Middleton Park are under threat of closure with the Council agreeing they would remain open until 31 March 2014.
Reading the report raises a number of questions:
- How does the proposal to develop an improvement scheme for Gotts Park affect the future of the golf course there?
- Does the creation of a Gott’s Park improvement scheme have any implications for the future of Middleton Park Golf Course?
- Should any proposal to sell assets in in Middleton Park generate income, which should be put back into the ward?
- Could income generated from the sale of Wade’s Charity’s assets be used to help fund the two golf course at risk?
