West Suffolk Community Archive Charity. Charity no 121423
The Charity was formed in December 2024 with the aim of returning an Archive Service to West Suffolk and with the intention of arranging the listing the existing Archive Building as a Community Asset .
The Charity was formed initially with six Trustees who brought wide skills and experience , and who shared the belief that West Suffolk , with its huge Historical significance needed its Records and Archive in West Suffolk, where they were accessible to both residents and visitors alike . With the assistance of West Suffolk Council we obtained the listing of the building as a Community Asset.
By using the authority given to the Charity by our listing of the Archive Building as a Community Asset, Suffolk County Council were required to give notice of their wish to dispose of the Building. This they did in January 2025. The Charity responded that they wished to see the building continue in its Community use as a Record Office . The Charity offered to take on the building on a 25 year lease at a peppercorn rent, with the Charity raising the funds to carry out the necessary improvements and repairs that the building required I.e. proper disabled access throughout the building , and repairs and dealing with damp issues where necessary.
This would enhance the capital value of the Building, to the advantage of Suffolk County Council, and enable the building to be used for the benefit of the West Suffolk Community. Unfortunately this proposal was rejected by Suffolk County Council and the building placed on sale on the Open Market on 12th June 2025.
The Charity was not then in a financial position to bid for the building .
And later at a formal meeting Suffolk Council representatives ,the Charity was told that there was no funding available to support an Archive Service in West Suffolk.
What was then discovered, with the viewing of the property , was how much library , newspapers and duplicate records remained in the building. Enough in fact to kick start a Local History library focusing on West Suffolk.
And then, very fortunately for the Charity , a local very well established building developer, who was keen to purchase the building , having already
purchased the surrounding land ,was enthusiastically prepared to offer the Charity the use of the building , keeping the contents within it to be cared for by the Charity , for a limited mutually agreed period.
The now 2028 devolution of Suffolk County Council into three parts , restoring really the pre 1974 West Suffolk, fits in very well with the Charities longer term ambitions to have a viable West Suffolk Record Archive again in West Suffolk, where it can be seen and is accessible to our Community.
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