TWO precious assets are set to be returned to the local community.

Plans to return the Bishop's Barn and recreation ground to the Wells City Council were agreed on March 1.

Mendip District Council (MDC) cabinet members voted unanimously to transfer the trusteeship to Wells.

Transfer talks are set to begin, but the process could take around six months to complete.

Mendip has already received an ‘in principle’ notification from the charity commission saying it would look favourably on any such application, so long as a clear and convincing case is made.

READ MORE: Bishop's Barn and Recreation Ground to be returned to Wells community

“We have been patiently pursuing this outcome for many months," said leader of MDC, Cllr Ros Wyke.

"It’s been challenging, but we are now close to the end of the governance process and I am delighted the people of Wells will soon receive the transfer of this most significant property.

“Communities should be able to run their local assets and take care of them closer to home, rather than leaving it to a council some distance away.

"This enables them to flourish and reach their full potential in the hands of people who cherish them.”

Bishops Barn is a Great Barn and one of the only 200 remaining in the UK.

It is a Grade I Listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument of National Significance.

Wells Recreation Ground is a public open space with a bandstand, bowling green, toilet block, children’s play area, and an informal kick-about space.

The ancient Barn, and the land around it, was gifted in two parts to the citizens of Wells for community activity in 1887 and 1897.

Local government reorganisation saw the newly created MDC handed control of the asset in 1974.