The White House, Otley Chevin: Buildings at popular beauty spot get protected status
Buildings at a popular beauty spot will get protected status after a successful application from a community group.
The White House site at Otley Chevin Forest Park will be added to the city council’s list of Assets of Community Value (ACVs).
Otley Folklore Community Interest Company (CIC) nominated the site, which includes a cafe and education building.
It means the group would have the right to make a bid for the council-owned buildings if they were put up for sale.
A Leeds City Council report said: “The nominator states that these buildings have been central to community life in Otley for over a century and remain the way many people connect with the Chevin’s heritage.
“They state that the site has historically hosted a wide range of activities that promote social well-being, community connection, learning and access to nature.”
The White House building itself was being used by council staff and the Friends of Otley Chevin Forest Park as a documents archive.
The cafe was in a poor condition and closed in 2020, the report said. But expressions of interest had been sought to bring it back into use within the next five years.
ACV status means that if the buildings were put up for sale, a community group could request to be treated as a potential bidder.
The sale would then be paused and the group given six months to submit its own bid for the site.
The council report said: “However, the landowner is free to dispose of the property at the end of the six-month period to whomsoever they see fit.”