Background
I recently was informed of the auction of the Army Reserve Centre at, 276-278 London Road, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 3JP by Defence Infrastructure Organisation on 7th November with seemingly only two weeks’ notice. I understand this Army Reserve Centre has been unused for some time; however, there has been serious and considerable ongoing interest from Cadet Organisations and other Community Groups over many years. Furthermore, this is an exceptional community resource, adjacent to the Royal Military Academy and our community response to the news of auctioning off this property, and land, at very short notice has been met with a resoundingly negative response on social media. I urge the suspension of the auction with a more reasonable timeframe, allowing for community consultation and a potential bid from community organisations who are interested. This property is unique. It cannot be sold off in a rush before there is a proper investigation for the future of the site. I respect the sale of the site to private bidders, and understand that private owners are able to do, within the law and planning permission, whatever they chose to with their own property. However, given such an amazing location, and with the site's history, some community support would be a great way to enhance the character and nature of our town and Surrey Heath.
Why we want your views
Our survey is designed to try to understand 3 things:
- Community awareness of the site and its sale?
- Community support for a space for public meetings/gatherings/events and charitable activities?
- Ideas, from the public, as to what the site could be used for?