Otley Chevin buildings get protected status

Buildings at a popular beauty spot in Otley will get protected status after a successful application from a community group.

Transcript

00:00The White House in Otley serves as a base from which the Shevin Forest Park is managed,

00:06but for much of its life it formed part of a farm, which at various times also offered refreshments

00:11to passing visitors from a wooden hut on the western side of the house.

00:16The buildings at this popular beauty spot have now been given protected status

00:20after a successful application from a community group.

00:24The site has been added to Leeds City Council's list of Assets of Community Value,

00:29also known as ACVs.

00:32Otley Folklore Community Interest Company nominated the site, which includes a cafe and education building,

00:38and it means the group would have the right to make a bid for the council-owned buildings

00:42if they were put up for sale.

00:45A Leeds City Council report said the nominator states that these buildings have been central

00:49to community life in Otley for over a century,

00:53and remain the way many people connect with the Shevin's heritage.

00:56The site has historically hosted a wide range of activities that promote social well-being,

01:02community connection, learning, and access to nature.

01:05The White House building itself is being used by council staff and the friends of Otley-Shevin Forest Park

01:11as a documents archive.

01:13The cafe is in a poor condition and closed in 2020,

01:17but expressions of interest have been sought to bring it back into use within the next five years.

01:23Otley-Shevin is a designated nature reserve comprising 700 acres of woodland,

01:28crags, and open heathland.

01:30ACV status means that in the event of any sale, the process would be paused,

01:34and the group given six months to submit its own bid for the site,

01:38although the landowner is free to dispose of the property at the end of the six-month period

01:42to whoever they see fit.