One of Cornwall Council’s main offices has gone on the market. The council approved plans in July to get rid of its office block on Dolcoath Avenue, Camborne, in a bid to save money.
The three-acre site, complete with 262 car parking spaces, with further overflow parking adjoining the main site, is being marketed by Vickery Holman, which says freehold or rental prices will only be given to interested parties on application.
The decision to sell was taken during a discussion on the council’s ongoing ‘estate transformation programme’ to significantly reduce the size of its estate, costs and carbon footprint. There is a suggestion that the Camborne site will be bought for affordable, extra care or supported housing.
Cllr David Harris, Cabinet member for resources of Cornwall Council, said at the time of the decision: “In simple terms, we would need to spend something like £6.4m to get Dolcoath into reasonable shape; a building that is on average 10 per cent occupied and yet costs half a million pounds per annum to maintain. This just does not make sense.”
Vickery Holman’s marketing blurb states: “The property is a very substantial detached office building, purpose built as HQ style premises in the 1980s for CompAir Holman but subsequently used by Kerrier District Council and then Cornwall Council. The building has a mix of cellular and mainly open plan offices on each of five floors with a reception area on the ground floor. There are two passenger lifts and two separate staircases. Each floor has a break-out space and welfare facilities. The property has been subject to periodic upgrades over its lifetime.
“As part of a freehold sale, a detached two-bedroom bungalow in the grounds of the main building could be included.” The offices are understood to have a rateable value of £275,000.