A THREATENED and ‘much-loved’ community centre has been saved from closure at the last minute.

A deal has been struck between County Hall bosses and a voluntary service charity to permanently transfer ownership of the Gannow Community Centre building after months of negotiation.

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The centre on Adamson Street had been due to be sold off by Lancashire County Council as its seeks to save £200million by 2021 through services cuts and property sales.

But now local Liberal Democrat councillor Charlie Briggs has brokered a deal whereby Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary service takes it over ‘lock, stock and barrel’ for a notional sum.

Making the announcement, Cllr Briggs said he was ‘ecstatic’.

The organisation will access £32,000 in grants from the National Lottery funded £1million Gannow Big Local pot given to the area in 2012.

The cash will pay for upgrades and refurbishments for the eight-room building which is used by several community groups and more than 150 people a week.

The county council owns the building but has progressively withdrawn its youth and other services in recent years.

Earlier this year it made clear it was intending to close and sell off the centre as part of its wider controversial policy of closing and selling libraries, museums and other community hubs with a deadline of October 31 for proposals.

Now CVS development officer Peter Dunn has confirmed legal papers are due to be signed on Friday to transfer the assets to the Burnley-based organisation which has been running the centre temporarily for six months.

He said there were big plans to improve and upgrade the centre and widen is usage with the lottery money.

Cllr Briggs said: “I am delighted and ecstatic that we have been able to save the much-loved and well-used Gannow Community Centre as are local people and groups.

“Everybody is really pleased.

“It’s a really important asset to Gannow.

“It’s taken months of negotiation to get us here but now it is only a question of signing the legal papers this week.

“This is a full transfer, a long-term deal for many years not a short-term fix.

“Some organisations have left but others have come on board and there are going to be real improvements with a new cafe and kitchen.”

County Council Adult and Community Services boss, County Cllr Tony Martin, who represents Burnley Central West ward, said: “I am delighted to be able to confirm this deal.

“It’s a really important building for the local community in need of some refurbishment.

“We still owned the building which was used by some groups but withdrew our main services some time ago.

“If we had not been able to agree this transfer, it would have been closed completely and sold off.”

Mr Dunn said: “We’re are awaiting a final conversation between lawyers before final sign off on Friday.

“I see no reason the transfer of assets for a purely ‘notional sum’ will not go ahead.

“We have been running the centre for some months and have about eight groups using it and more than 150 people a week coming to the centre.

“There are eight rooms including a cafe, kitchen, meeting room, offices, lounge and snooker room.

“We will use the lottery cash from the Gannow Big Local Fund to refurbish the building and give it some much-needed tender loving care.

“I am really grateful to the CVS chief executive Christine Blythe and our trustees for agreeing this deal.

“We have real plans and high hopes for the centre and have already transferred some furnishings and other items from our Burnley Yorkshire Street offices.”

The transfer is permanent with a clause allowing the county council to take a share of any sale to a third party in the first five years.

The good news follows a deal in July to secure the future of another Burnley neighbourhood hub.

Stoops and Hargher Clough Community Centre secured funding from the Tudor Trust, which would keep them afloat for at least three years.

The Venice Street venue had also been earmarked for closure under the Lancashire County Council cuts and property sales programme.

But the announcement meant the Stoops site can continue to flourish, with the trust’s assistance, until at least 2019.