£1.7m sale of day centre recommended for approval

A charity could take over the building of a former day centre for people with learning disabilities, if a £1.7m sale is approved.

Hastings Road Day Centre, in Leicester, was closed in March 2024 by Leicester City Council due to dwindling demand.

The council, which owns the building, decided the site was suitable for sale as it was surplus to its needs and costing the taxpayer between £15,000 and £20,000 a year to maintain.

Council officers have recommended Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, should approve the sale of the building to local charity Shree Damania Machhi Mahajan.

According to council documents, 22 charities and businesses made a bid to take over the site, which was initially listed for £1.2m.

A three-stage bidding process took place focused on finding a buyer which would provide community value.

Shree Damania Machhi Mahajan achieved the highest overall score and was therefore judged best suited to take over the site.

The charity, which was established in 2003, currently operates a community centre in Frisby Road, Leicester, and aims to support older people, disabled people, young people and women, alongside working with other community organisations.

Charity workers told the council they would use the Hastings Road centre for a wide range of community activities, including employment seminars, recruitment days, English classes, sewing and tailoring, children's dance and music, health screening events, festivals and community gatherings.

No timeline for the sale has currently been released.

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