Asset Transfer

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 introduces a right for community groups (known as community transfer bodies in the Act) to make requests to all local authorities for any land or buildings they feel they could make better use of.

Find out more:

Asset Transfer explained (PDF 280KB) in a questions and answers format.

How it works

Community Transfer Bodies (CTBs) can request ownership, lease or other rights, as they wish. This process is known as Asset Transfer.

The council has a responsibility to assess each request transparently against a specified list of criteria and agree to the request unless there are reasonable grounds for refusal.

How to make a request

There are two steps available to you when submitting a request to us (two forms to complete):

  1. Expression of Interest
  2. Asset Transfer Request

View applicant notes (PDF 456KB) and help with PDF forms before submitting a request. Contact your local area office to request a copy of these forms in an alternative format.

An asset transfer request can be submitted for any land or building at any time, even if there is already a request in place from another group. You don't have to wait until an earlier request has been completed before submitting yours.

If there is more than one group interested in the same land or building you should try to work together to agree a single request, although we know that this isn’t always practical.

Expression of Interest

We encourage community groups to discuss their ideas with their local area office at an early stage. You will need to fill in an Expression of Interest (EOI) application form (PDF 317KB). This will help us understand your interest and gauge the suitability of your application.

Asset Transfer Request

Once the community group is ready they can apply for Asset Transfer by completing the Asset Transfer Request (ATR) application form (PDF 462KB).

Your Area Manager will check that the ATR is complete and acknowledge this with you.

Evaluation

Your request will be assessed by a locality-based officer steering group, chosen for their expertise across the economic, environmental and social sectors. This group will make a recommendation to the relevant area committee for determination.

The council will have 6 months from the date of a valid ATR to decide the outcome of your application.

Asset list

We have created a register of all the land and buildings owned by the council (PDF 2.1MB). If you have any questions or comments please contact your local area office.