Cambridgeshire County Council is planning to sell offices it no longer uses at Signet Court in Cambridge.
Former council offices in Cambridge are set to be sold with the intention to turn them into new flats. Councillors at Cambridgeshire County Council have agreed to move forward with the sale of 18-20 Signet Court, in Swann Road.
A report published by the authority said the offices had been used by the county council for more than 30 years, but stopped being used in September last year, with staff being moved to other offices and bases in the area.
Councillors were told at a meeting this week (January 13) that the offices had initially been offered to Cambridge City Council and This Land Ltd, the county council’s development company, but that both had declined to use the building.
Officers explained that the building was then advertised for sale and that one offer to buy it had been received from someone planning to turn it into flats. Plans have already been submitted to the city council to turn the offices into 12 new flats under permitted development rights. These rights allow offices to be turned into housing without a full planning application being made.
A number of criteria still have to be considered under permitted development rights, including the transport impacts of the development, any potential contamination or flooding risks, noise, and whether all habitable rooms will get adequate natural light.
Councillor Ricky Ioannides (Reform UK) highlighted that the agreed sale price was “slightly below” what had been assumed in the budget. He asked what the “key drivers” were in impacting this, and asked if the money from the sale would be used to pay off council borrowing.
The offices had been advertised for sale with an asking price of £895,000. Officers said only one offer had been received, but said the agreed sale price could not be shared publicly, however, they said it was “very close” to the guide price. It was also confirmed that the money made from the sale would be used to repay borrowing.
Councillor Matthew Morgan (Liberal Democrat) said he was “happy” to see the council selling “excess assets”. Councillor Ros Hathorn (Liberal Democrat) said the proposed sale “seems very sensible”. She said: “There is a slight variation between the price we thought we might get and the purchase cost, but it is very small.
“There is a cost to holding on to buildings you do not need, and there is a cost to looking after buildings which are running really low occupancy, which this was. I think it is a really sensible thing we are doing, disposing of underused and unused property assets.”
Cllr Hathorn added that Cambridge “needs more housing” and said she was therefore in support of the plans to convert the building into flats. The committee agreed unanimously to support the sale of the offices.
