COMMUNITY groups in Southampton now have greater opportunity to take on under-used council buildings.

The city council Cabinet agreed to adopt the community asset transfer strategy at last night’s meeting.

The strategy allows local groups to put a bid together for publicly-owned buildings or land, which can then be handed over by the council if a bid is successful.

A pilot programme involving community buildings across the city will now be implemented, and could allow communities to club together to bid for sites that may have fallen out of use.

At the meeting, resident Anne MacGillivray urged the Cabinet to scrap the strategy, saying she was concerned it could lead to a sell-off of public assets.

But she was assured by council leader Simon Letts that the strategy does not give the authority “carte blanche” to sell off its buildings or land to developers, and that any bids for sites would go before the Cabinet for approval.

And Cabinet member for communities and change Jacqui Rayment said: “This is not about selling off libraries, cemeteries and museums.

“It’s about working with community associations, community centres and community hubs that are in the heart of Southampton, to make better use of buildings that are not necessarily viable, and make them more accessible to the public.”