THE council has sold its £190,000 freehold of a village shop despite fears it could go – but the store owner says he has “no plans” to pack up.

Senior councillors at a Royal Borough cabinet meeting were torn when they were recommended to sell its interest to the tenants of a small Cookham shop at 13 Hillcrest Avenue, who had a 99-year lease from April 2001 at a peppercorn rent.

Terms have been agreed for the council to sell the freehold interest in the property to the tenant, Harry Brar, for £190,000. If the property is redeveloped within 20 years of completion of the purchase, the local authority will receive 30 per cent of the increase in value following the redevelopment.

However, cabinet members feared this could lead to the rural village losing its local shop if the owner decides to sell up.

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Speaking at the meeting on Thursday, December 16, Bisham and Cookham councillor Gerry Clark (Con), lead member for transport and infrastructure, said by selling the freehold, it will remove protection clauses agreed in 2001 that maintains it as a local shop.

He said: “Having a shop in Cookham is a benefit to that community and by removing the obligation to maintain this as a shop, it is opening it to redevelopment, for closure, and the potential for residents to lose this valuable resource they currently enjoy, which they would have thought was protected by this council under the terms of the existing lease and which would be removed if the freehold is sold.”

The shop owner said he has no plans to sell up

The shop owner said he has "no plans" to sell up

Cllr David Cannon (Con: Datchet, Horton & Wraysbury), lead member for parking, said communities “start to decay” when village amenities and shops fade out.

However, shop owner Harry Brar, who has been involved with the negotiations, said he has “no plans" to close or develop the store and will remain a community shop.

Despite the concerns and the split in the vote, cabinet narrowly agreed to sell its freehold to the tenant.

Elsewhere in the meeting, senior councillor unanimously voted in favour of selling its freehold of a car park south of the Stafferton Link Road, Maidenhead, for £5,000 to Absolutely Leisure.

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The charitable organisation provides access to leisure facilities to children and young people with additional needs as well as to the general public.

It holds a long leasehold over The Arena, Unit 4 Howarth Road, a warehouse used as an indoor go-kart track. The property is split in two sections following the construction of the Stafferton Way Link Road with a small plot of land south of the link road.

Terms have been agreed to sell this area of land to Absolute Leisure to enable its development for residential units. The sale is conditional on obtaining planning permission.

On completion, a minimum sum of £95,000 is to be paid to the council plus 33 per cent of the value uplift from the receipt of planning consent, capped at £450,000.