Milton Keynes City Council proposes sale of Great Linford Manor Park courtyard buildings.

The Friends of Great Linford Manor Park have received a letter from Milton Keynes City Council, outlining their plans for the Courtyard Buildings in Great Linford Manor Park.

The headline news is that the Council, having commissioned a specialist report to investigate options, are currently intending to place the Pavilions, Barn and Radcliffe Building on their disposal list.
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It should be noted that the land encompassing the Courtyard Buildings is not presently believed to be included in the sale, and assurances have been provided that the right of way via Parklands through the parking area will be protected. The preference will also be to sell the buildings together as a single lot.

A sale is not a foregone conclusion, and the Council have indicated they would be happy to receive any alternative proposals, with a six-month pause provided before they accept any offers, allowing interested parties to make proposals.

The Barn and Pavilions are listed buildings, and so will enjoy significant protections, so any potential buyer will be prevented from interfering significantly with their fabric. The Radcliffe Building will enjoy much less protection.

The concern, of course, is what purpose any potential buyer may envisage for the buildings and how this would impact on the wider park, but the Friends have received assurances that the Council will take this into account in approving any sale. However, once out of the oversight of the Council, it must be acknowledged that any future transfers of ownership will make it much harder to prevent actions detrimental to the future of these buildings.

Given the recent history of the courtyard buildings, it would be preferable that they are revitalised for community use, but given the estimated cost and difficulty of bringing them up to modern standards (£1.5 million), the Council had concluded there was no clear path to achieving this goal.

The recent acquisition of the almshouses by The Parks Trust has been rightly applauded. As they are already the custodians of the park's green spaces, we can be confident that the almshouses (which are so central to the park's setting) are in safe hands. However, the uncertainty now introduced as to the future of the other estate buildings is of great concern, and it is to be hoped that the local community and wider heritage interests keep a close eye on the situation.

The letter from Milton Keynes City Council can be viewed below.

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