EHDC has declared six of its properties to be surplus to its requirements.
The council owns around 400 assets – varying from small parcels of land to bus shelters, community buildings and large commercial properties.
An ongoing review into our assets showed that some are no longer needed by the council, as they incur ongoing costs and add to the burden on the taxpayer.
At a meeting on Thursday evening Cabinet declared some sites to be surplus to the council’s requirements.
Cllr Tony Costigan, Portfolio Holder for Property, said: “We are always looking at ways to save taxpayers’ money and make sure our residents are getting value for money.
“We regularly review the role of the buildings and property we own to make sure they are still working for us.
“Some of these assets we have owned for a long time but that doesn’t mean we should own them forever. It’s important we think about what to do with all of these properties in the future and make sure we find the best solution for the council and the local area.”
The council owns assets for a variety of operational reasons, such as car parks and community centres through to buildings that provide EHDC staff accommodation.
We also own property transferred as part of local government re-organisation in 1974 and properties recently purchased as part of our Commercial Property Investment Portfolio.
The asset review is being undertaken in part due to the council’s on-going transformation programme, which has highlighted the need to look closely at how we use our assets.
The assets declared surplus to requirements are:
Northern Gateway, Whitehill & Bordon - a former Lloyds Bank, Eco-Station, Exhibition House and a strip of open space land
Guadeloupe Car Park, Whitehill & Bordon – currently used as a car park
Mill Chase Car Park, Whitehill & Bordon - former leisure centre car park
9/10 The Square, Petersfield – a former retail unit
7 Cross and Pillory Lane, Alton – a former customer hub and tourist information centre
Liss Business Centre, Liss - part of the former EHDC depot