The council's finance committee had been approached by the group striving to get the centre up and running, for a loan of £150,000 to buy the county council owned building.
The refusal follows on the heels of Caradon's housing members agreeing to value the site – and ask the county to hold the scheme on 'option', pending the group gaining the necessary grants.
The Liskeard community centre project had approached Caradon for an interest free loan to 'bank roll' them before the grants came through. The scheme is a forum idea and the forum has set up a limited company to purchase the site and buildings. Council finance manager, Clare Glynn, had felt agreement could be given 'in principle' subject to the legal requirement that adequate security for the loan could be provided.
Family Support Group
Jeanne Rees specified the aims of the group, which would see the centre providing space for a pre-school playgroup, a family support group, a youth work resource base, meeting rooms and a base for Liskeard Arts Action. The cost of the scheme is £418,000, and members heard one potential grant provider - the Rural Development Commission - requires an overall banker for the project. Among those opposed to the concept of a loan was Eric Lewis who was concerned that if it was awarded it would take up the total sum allocated for such purposes in Caradon's 1999/2000 budget.
Roy Levack felt an unsecured loan was not feasible, while Sid Gardner believed the scheme could open a floodgate of similar applications from other forums. Tony Powell declared his interest as a forum member, and said Liskeard town council and its forum were not 100 per cent in favour of the project. Richard Crocker was against the scheme on the grounds that the site was inappropriate and there were risks that the project would be unviable in the longer term.
Alternative proposal
The committee noted that Caradon has awarded £35,000 as a grant for the centre in 2000/2001 - and this prompted Mr Lewis to say that in the past any Caradon loans to community projects has been limited to £25,000.
Mr Powell referred to an alternative proposal on a site near Safeway where developer finance of £60,000 is said to be available for a community centre. As both he and Mrs Rees had declared an interest committee chairman, Hugh Francis, summarised the debate. An 'option' delay proposal was lost by five votes to three while a vote for refusal went through by seven votes to none, with three abstentions.