The calendar has flipped, and with it comes another wave of disposals: park corners sliced off for access roads, enterprise units marketed for “maximum value”, and long leases that look like sales by another name. This month’s list is long, stark, and very real for the people who live beside these places. What vanishes next isn’t just land. It’s routine, memory, and the free space where life happens.
It was just after school pick‑up when I walked past the gate to a small park, the sort with a bendy slide and a bench that’s always warm in weak winter sun. A laminated notice flapped against the railings: proposed disposal of public open space. A few parents read it in silence. One took a photo, thumb hovering over “share”. A toddler pointed at a squirrel and then at the sign, as if the two were related. *It felt like the ground was being sold beneath our feet.*
At the business park across town, the agent’s hoarding had gone up overnight: “Prime freehold/long-lease opportunity — all enquiries.” Units that hosted a startup bakery, a women’s bike co‑op, a print shop that does charity flyers for free. The wind whipped the banner so it snapped like a flag. The only people smiling were the gulls.
By the end of the day, I’d scrolled through half a dozen council pages, the kind with PDFs named “Appendix‑F‑Disposals‑Schedule‑Q4.pdf”. The pattern was the same, town after town. A thin line of typeface that says, in a careful way, we’re selling what used to be yours. The noticeboard told a different story.
Council bankruptcy meets the map under your shoes
There’s a straight line from Section 114 notices to the fence around your local green. When a council declares effective bankruptcy, it’s driven to “maximise receipts”, a dry phrase that lands like a thud. Parks are tricky — covenants and trust protections exist — yet small strips, depots, and pavilion plots still appear on the block. Business hubs go quicker. They’re neat numbers in a spreadsheet, easy to market, tidy to complete.
In Croydon, Woking, Thurrock, Nottingham, Slough and beyond, the same rhythms play out: asset reviews, cabinet papers, auctions scheduled for the second Tuesday. A resident group will share drone footage of a meadow at dusk. A brochure will show “potential for 24 units, subject to planning”. You can set a clock by the language. You can feel the air thinning around it.
It isn’t just the sale. It’s the lease terms that last longer than a lifetime, the joint ventures that blur the line, the covenant releases tucked at the back of an agenda. Treasury pressures collide with local choices, and something has to give. When it does, the map changes, inch by inch. That’s how a city forgets its own shape.
How to verify “the full list” today — and what you can do with it
Start where the law requires light. Councils must publish open‑space disposals under Section 123 of the Local Government Act, usually via public notices and cabinet papers. Search your area with precise terms: “site:yourcouncil.gov.uk ‘Section 123’ disposal open space”, “asset disposal schedule”, “land for sale by the council”, “long lease marketing particulars”. Cross‑check with committee agendas from the last two months. You’ll find the list, piece by piece.
Then widen the lens. Agents’ portals often go live before community groups clock a notice. Try the big commercial platforms and auction houses, filtered by “vendor: local authority” or “occupational: vacant”. Land Registry’s Price Paid data lags, but the daily alert on titles with the council’s name will flag completions. Let’s be honest: no one does that every day. Share the load with neighbours, traders, and the local park run WhatsApp.
“They called it ‘non‑core estate’. To me it’s where my kid learned to ride a bike,” a dad told me by the railings, stuffing the notice in his pocket like a parking ticket. “If this is the only way, at least tell us straight. Give us the real list, not the highlight reel.”
Here’s a practical box to keep you grounded while emotions run hot:
- Find the statutory notice: search your council site for “Section 123” and “open space”.
- Read the cabinet paper: look for “Appendix” with site plans, red lines, and valuation notes.
- Check the marketing pack: agent brochures reveal lease lengths, covenants, and intended use.
- Log the dates: consultation windows are short; screenshot and save PDFs with timestamps.
- Submit a short objection: name the site, state the harm, and reference the notice by date.
The live picture, changing by the hour
This month’s disposals aren’t a neat, single PDF. They’re scattered across town hall sites, in damp clip‑frames on park gates, and on glossy agent listings that never say “once public”. The “full list” moves every week: a strip of verge added here, a depot withdrawn after a challenge, an innovation hub advancing to auction at the last minute. **Public land** and **business hubs** sit at the hinge of a national squeeze and local trade‑offs. **Call it what it is: a sell‑off shaped by the maths.** We’ve all lived the moment where a place flips from background to precious the second it’s threatened. If you read to the end and feel a pulse in your thumb, that’s not just anger. It’s a map asking who gets to draw the next line.
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FAQ :
- Where can I see the confirmed list for my area?Start with your council’s Section 123/open‑space notices and the latest cabinet “asset disposals” paper. Then check agent listings advertising “local authority vendor”.
- Are councils allowed to sell public parks?They can dispose of land, but many parks carry covenants or trusts. Sales of open space require public notice and an opportunity for objections.
- What’s the difference between a sale and a 125‑year lease?Functionally, a long lease can remove public control for a generation. The headline might avoid the word “sale”, yet the effect on access and use can be similar.
- How can I object without being ignored?Keep it specific: name the site, cite the statutory notice, refer to policy (open‑space standards, biodiversity plans), and propose a viable alternative.
- Will objections actually stop a disposal?Sometimes. They can delay, trigger scrutiny, or change terms. They also build a record that matters when decisions are reviewed or challenged.
