BROMSGROVE'S Victoria Ground has been registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

The nomination was put forward by Bromsgrove Sporting Supporters Society and discussed at the last meeting of Bromsgrove District Council's cabinet, held on June 4.

An ACV, introduced under the Localism Act 2011, gives interested parties the opportunity to ask the council to list certain assets as being of value to the community.

Once an asset is listed, and then comes up for sale, this allows an interested party from the community time to put together a bid to buy it.

Bromsgrove District Council is the trustee of the Birmingham Road-based ground, the home of Bromsgrove Sporting Football Club, which was given to the people of the town in 1910 by Charles Crane.

In the debate on the ACV nomination the covenant on the ground was discussed, with Councillor Mike Webb raising whether an ACV was even needed when the protection from the covenant was already in place.

The covenant sets out the terms under which the ground was donated to the authority and protects the ground as a football stadium, with a clause added to stress if there was ever no football club, the land would become an open space for residents.

Councillor Roger Hollingworth pointed out that the Victoria Ground needed the ACV because the authority had considered selling the land in the past.

"It is absolutely essential," he said.

"Twelve years ago this council tried to sell it to a developer.

"If this council has done it once they can do it again. I fully support this."

Councillor Kit Taylor stressed the authority was not selling the land, and had no plans to do so.

A vote was taken, and councillors agreed to register the ground.

After the vote, chairman of the supporters society, Charlie Rudge, told the Advertiser he was pleased with the outcome.

"I am very glad of the council's support," he said.

"The society lodged our interest in protecting the ground earlier this year.

"An ACV gives us the chance to be consulted and for us to make an offer, if the land was ever being sold off."