The six week deadline notice, attached to the railings of Old Abbey House, has been removed in the last 24 hours.
It notified community groups that they had six weeks to register an interest in taking over the property. They would then have been given four and a half months to put together a bid.
If there have been no expressions of interest, Old Abbey House will be put back on the market by the Vale of White Horse District Council as ‘surplus to requirements’.
So could the gardens – an integral part of the Green Flag Award winning Abbey Gardens – one day be shut off from public access?
Ah yes..one more piece of the family silver to go…no doubt to be sold off behid the invisibilty cloak of commercial confidentiality?
Flogged off to the disgrace of the crazy gang. Yet another attractive part of our poor town flogged off without a second thought. Whilst I understand it belongs to the Vale, not a single word to keep it for Abingdon on Thames has been heard from the Town Council, once again shame on you all.
…perhaps The Veil could gift it to Abingdon School?
It is indeed sad that no community organisation has come forward, but maybe not surprising given the cost of not only buying, but maintaining it. Llets just hope that whoever does buy it takes good care of it and uses it for a purpose which is to the benefit of the town in some way.
Re the garden, the Friends of Abingdon made the Vale aware last year of a series of legal reasons why public access should be retained. We believe it is unlikely that it will be included in the sale, but are keeping a close watch..
Wouldn’t it make a splendid kindergarten?
Yes it would be such a pity to lose that garden. It is so different from the formal garden in front of it. Lovely to see an interesting and Bee-friendly plot. I notice that many people go in there to sit on the benches and eat their lunch or just chat. I hope that some way of retaining it can be found. We are lucky to have groups like the Friends of Abingdon who work so hard to try to maintain the heritage of the town.