Decision details

To seek approval for the transfer of land at Lifeboat Road and Ravenmeols from Sefton Council ownership to the National Trust.

The Cabinet Member - Locality Services agreed that coastal land at Lifeboat Road Recreation Area and Ravenmeols, Formby be declared surplus to operational requirements and this decision was effective from 25 March 2017.
A public notice considering the disposal of this open space to the north and south of Lifeboat Road, Formby, was published by the Council on 8 of March 2017, with a closing date for objections or representations to the proposal of 22 March 2017.
On 8th March 2017, the Council and the National Trust announced that positive conversations about the future care of coastal land on the coast at Formby and this related to the transfer of land at Lifeboat Road and Ravenmeols from Sefton Council ownership to the National Trust. If agreed this would see 204 hectares of coastal dunes and woodland and beach become part of the National Trust landholdings at Formby. A joint public drop-in day took place on the 18 March 2017.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director which provided details of proposals to transfer land at Formby to the National Trust

Decision Made: That

(1)       the outcome of the consultation on the proposed disposal of the land at Ravenmeols and Lifeboat Road, Formby be noted;

(2)       subject to resolution (3) below,  that the Head of Corporate Support together with the Head of Regulation and Compliance be authorised to negotiate the terms of disposal and the Head of Regulation and Compliance be authorised to execute the necessary legal documentation to transfer the land to the National Trust, in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services.

(3)       it be noted note that an independent valuation of the land is expected shortly and the outcome will be reported to the Cabinet Member – Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services who has authority to refer the matter back to Cabinet for further consideration should the valuation materially affect the transfer.

Reasons for Decision:

The land at Formby was identified as one of number of coastal ‘Destination Gateways’ whose purpose is to strengthen the visitor economy by providing access to local communities and visitors, high quality amenities and preservation of the ecology of the natural environment in favourable condition. The Council had negotiated an opportunity with National Trust that would see a very significant financial investment in visitor infrastructure at Formby by National Trust that would create a direct benefit to the visitor economy and to make a tangible contribution to of the outcomes of Vision 2030.  

The Cabinet Member for Locality Services has declared the land at Formby as surplus to operational requirements and the asset is included in the Asset Disposal Programme.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

The alternative options include:

·         Land remains in Council ownership – it is unlikely that that the Council would ever be able to match the scale of investment proposed by National Trust and in addition would also struggle to maintain and augment the current facilities at Formby Lifeboat Road and Ravenmeolls, whereas National Trust would develop sympathetically and appropriately.

·         Council leases the land to National Trust – National Trust would not make this scale of investment unless the land was in the ownership of the Trust.

·         Council and National Trust enter into a joint Special Purpose Vehicle – National Trust would not accept this proposal as experience of partnerships elsewhere has led to a number of compromises that have denuded the brand value of the Trust and created operational challenges.

·         Disposal on the open market for best consideration – the land is graded as low grade agricultural land in the green belt. It was considered that no other party had the financial resource to make the same scale of investment, nor owned land adjacent to the land owned by the Council, to create a whole site of scale, that warranted investment in visitor amenities and could be promoted nationally. In addition no other organisation could declare the land inalienable, to the extent that in the Trust’s ownership, it could not be sold and would be protected in perpetuity for generations to come. In addition, the core purpose of the Trust - access, conservation and community engagement aligns very strongly with the core purpose of the Council and Vision 2030 –By transferring the land from the Council there will be considerably greater opportunities for the future improvement and management of Formby Point by the National Trust.