What future for the Co-op Building?

Tideswell & District Community Land Trust has been looking into how best to shape the future of this important building.

Regarding the future of the Co-op building, we all know work has recently started on the new Co-op site on Whitecross Road, with the new store expected to open in summer 2027. What we don’t yet know is what the Co-op plans to do with the old building.

This feels like an opportunity for the community to have a say. Since 2011, communities have been able to nominate buildings as community assets. If DDDC allows the nomination, the community must be told if the owner wants to sell, giving us the chance to make an offer.

New legislation passed in April 2026 gives communities even more power, including first refusal, the right to buy at a fair price, and a year to raise the money. It also recognises that community assets can bring wider economic as well as social benefits. Unfortunately, the regulations needed to put these new powers into practice aren’t yet in place, so for now we have to use the existing process.

Given the pace of the Co-op’s development, we think it makes sense to apply sooner rather than later.

We’ve already had encouraging support. A Facebook post on the ‘Tideswell People!’ page received 83 thumbs-ups, and 67 people came to our August drop-in at Fountain Square Church, with 41 signing up to support the idea. There were lots of suggestions for possible uses, as well as useful discussion about risks and what to avoid. It’s very early days, and any future project would need plenty more discussion, ideas, viability work and, of course, fundraising. The great news is that new people have already come forward wanting to get involved.

The Land Trust’s view is that we have little to lose by trying to register the building. Registration doesn’t commit us to doing anything in the future, but it keeps open the possibility of finding a use that benefits the wider community. Without registration, we may lose that opportunity altogether.

There’s no guarantee DDDC will agree that the building meets the current criteria, but we’re very willing to give it a go – and excited about the possibilities of a genuinely village-wide project.

The Parish Council is supporting the proposal and helpfully liaising with the Co-op on behalf of the village. Many thanks to the Parish Council for their support. Watch this space for future updates.

Tideswell & District Community Land Trust is a community benefit society with charitable aims. It was set up to promote the purchase, development and management of assets for the benefit of the community of Tideswell, Litton and Wheston. This includes affordable housing for local people and employment, community and training opportunities and facilities. Membership is open to anyone who supports these aims and costs £1.