AT its meeting on Tuesday, June 6, Crediton Town Council voted to support the potential designation of Buccaneers Bar, 3 Cinema Buildings, Crediton, as an Asset of Community Value.

The item was on the agenda because a previous meeting of a council committee agreed to look at such an allocation.

At the previous meeting, councillors were considering a planning application for the Change of use of Buccaneers Bar from Use Class 4 to offices and canteen facility (Use Class E), Reference 21/00709/FULL.

The application was submitted by Crediton Dairy, which operates from premises behind Buccaneers Bar.

Spokesman for Crediton Dairy, Phil Cork, said that the Dairy hoped to purchase the premises to enable it to have a larger staff canteen for its 180 plus staff as well as office space.

Two members of the public, Mark Wallace and Helen Tuffin spoke at the previous meeting to seek the council’s support to have the venue, occasionally used in the past for music related public events, listed as a ACV.

The campaigners for the retention of the venue as a music/community venue spoke about previous music events and cinema events held there, about discussions held with individuals with Crediton Heart Project to seek support towards their aims and quoted a study into audience availability should such a venue operate for the community from a survey conducted for the Crediton Heart Project.

One councillor questioned why the campaigners had not sought to purchase the venue.

Funding issues were raised and it was explained that the building was in a poor state, requiring a completely new roof and internal works.

It was estimated that the works and purchase of the building would be hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Mr Wallace said that an ACV would give the campaigners sufficient time to have sufficient discussions, look at funding and programming.

Government funding, The Plunkett Foundation and creating a Community Venture were examples given for funding.

A letter recently published in the “Crediton Courier” from Graham Gratwick was again quoted, giving the examples of poor attendances and very few paying customers at music events.

Mr Cork mentioned that he did not believe the venue would qualify as an ACV with Mid Devon District Council because to qualify it would have to be proven that it was an asset to the town.

He gave examples of nearby arts and music venues such as the Crediton Arts Centre.

Council chairman Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking asked whether the canteen could be sited elsewhere but Mr Cork said that this was an opportunity to purchase an adjoining building which was for sale.

Mid Devon District Councillor John Downes said that he would call in the application when it was considered by the planning authority.

Helen said that she was contacting groups which had used the venue in the past to seek support.

She said that she thought that the people of Crediton wanted a venue for entertainment, explaining that previously music was a “sideline” and that it had fantastic acoustics.

“Entertainment has been a sideline,” she emphasised, adding that the current landlord “may be lacklustre about it”.

The chairman said she was glad conversations had been held with Heart Project members but explained that at a recent meeting a Heart Project representative said that it was looking at a much larger venue than an arts or music venue.

At the meeting which included a speaker from the Heart Project, it was explained that the Heart Project was seeking a £3 million to £4 million purpose-built venue.

The chairman said she knew there was a lack of dedicated performance spaces in the town.

Mark explained that on some previous occasions no musicians were paid to attend but that a door charge could be made if wanted.

The chairman proposed that the council supported the registration as an ACV, adding “Once it has gone, it has gone”.

The proposal was passed with one abstention and three councillors (the Mid Devon District Councillors) not voting.

While Crediton Town Council passed the recommendation, it is now up to Mark Wallace and Helen Tuffin to submit the ACV registration to the planning authority, Mid Devon District Council, with the evidence required.

Whether the ACV registration is accepted by MDDC will depend on the evidence submitted.

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