The lease process to create an outdoor stage in Knighton is underway

The lease process, which is required, to enable the creation of an outdoor stage in Knighton is underway.

Knighton Town Council recently agreed to sign a heads of terms document which will then start the lease process to allow the stage project at Pinner's Hole near the Offa's Dyke path to go ahead.

At the October meeting Councillor Holly Adams-Evans said the council had received a lease with the heads of terms on it. She said the council would need to agreed it before the lease process could start.

She said there are still discussions taking place about the capacity of the proposed solar panels and the batteries to see if they would be efficient.

Councillor Adams-Evans said; “It will be a temporary lease to start the process and then Powys County Council will work on the full lease.”

Councillor Tom Taylor said the rent for the site would be £1 a year and he suggested that the council sign the document and get the lease process started. He said a working party has been set up and there was a lot of support for the project and a lot of people willing to help.

The council has been provisionally awarded £83,000 of Pride of Place funding for the project.

An emergency meeting was held to discuss a proposal to request a long term lease of a 10m x 10m patch of land in Pinner’s Hole for the stage.

Councillor Tom Taylor said the stage was one of the things people said they wanted in the household survey Councillor Corinna Kenyon-Wade and he undertook and was included in the Town Plan that Richard Gabb compiled for the town.

He said Knighton Town Council’s involvement will, at the most, only be responsible for collecting the hire charges, grass cutting and paying the electricity bills. It is quite likely that a volunteer group will want to take over the running and promotion of the venue, in which case involvement by the town council will be minimal.

Members voted 10 to one in favour of lease discussions with one abstention.

Members agreed to sign the heads of terms document and start the lease process.