Chatteris Town Council becomes a landlord as flats are let within a day

Chatteris Town Council is now the proud landlord of two flats that were let to tenants within a day of them hitting the rental market.

News of the lettings was announced at last night’s town council meeting when the clerk gave an update on the Growing Fenland Project, which not only involved the refurbishment and extension of the council offices in Church Lane but, also the rehoming of the town’s museum to the former Barclay’s bank in Park Street.

The museum has been in its new home for several months and clerk Joanna Melton said the move had given it a major boost with more visitors through the door, and more people lining up to become volunteers with it.

The two flats, each with two bedrooms and refurbished to a high standard, were put up for let at £1,000 a month each with local estate agent T Payne and Co, who will manage the properties on behalf of the council, on Thursday, August 29.

Prospective tenants were shown around them on that same day and by the following day, both had been let.

The Growing Fenland Project, which has seen Chatteris benefit from £1million of investment, is now almost complete with the town council due to return to their offices in Church Lane imminently.

That will free up the office it has been occupying in the museum building in Park Street, which will then be available for community use.

The council is also the landlord of an accountancy firm that occupies offices on the second floor of the Park Street building and pays a commercial rent.

Both the flats and the offices will provide the council with an ongoing income, which will help keep the town council’s chunk of the council tax bill down for the town’s residents.

The council office building in Church Lane also has four small community rooms which will be made available for free to groups offering a service to the townspeople.

Among the groups benefiting will be Citizens Advice, which will have a home there. Relate the family guidance service will also be offered free use of one of the offices, as will the doctors’ surgery.

Mrs Melton said: “All in all there has been a really successful outcome.”