Bid to buy community centre at auction

Joe Peall wants to return the building into use as a community centre

A man has raised more than £80,000 to try and buy a former youth centre in order to "return it to the community".

Music teacher Joe Peall, 28, wants to purchase the Polygon Centre, Alfreton, which is being sold off at auction as part of Derbyshire County Council cost cutting measures.

The centre itself has a guide price of £75,000 and is expected to go under the hammer in the coming months.

Mr Peall said: "It's a bit of an icon in the town - lots of people have told me stories about their involvement with that building and the positive impact it had on them."

The council said the centre is not a "thriving community hub" and has not been used as such for "a number of years".

But Mr Peall said: "The Polygon Centre is a key part of the community, having served as a youth centre for decades.

"The positive impact this centre has had on thousands of people in Alfreton cannot be disputed.

"It would be a tragedy to lose it, and we need to act now to keep it in the hands of the people."

The Polygon has most recently been used as council offices

Mr Peall, who is originally from Bedfordshire but moved to Alfreton two years ago, said he first came across the centre on a walk and was soon told about the history of the building.

After he spotted it had gone up for auction he decided to raise the money to try and buy it and return it to use as a community centre.

He secured sponsorship to reach the guide price and has crowdfunded more than £5,000 to pay for legal and auctioneer fees.

Mr Peall added: "We’re ready whenever it goes up for auction. We’ve got the funds there, so we can go for it.

"I thought this is something good that could be done... it's disappointing that the council haven't been forthcoming in helping out."

A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said: “We’re reviewing all the buildings and land we own and if we no longer have a need for them we have a duty to consider all the options for their future use.

“This includes selling them and reinvesting the proceeds into front line services, helping to protect jobs, reducing our financial deficit and keeping council tax as low as possible in future years."