Devizes offices to be sold for housing
The old Kennet District Council offices at Browfort are likely to be sold cheaply to a property developer, according to a report to the WC Capital Assets Committee. However before this can be done the council has to pretend to market the site for employment to fit in with its own planning policies.
The site is costing £160,000 per year to maintain in its unoccupied condition so WC is anxious to dispose of it, and with a likely guide price of between £2million and £3million there are potentially huge profits to be made by developers.
Most of the buildings on the site would be demolished to make the site more attractive, though one, 'The Cedars' is listed.
Although market housing is the council's preferred option the possibility of using part of the site for 'extra-care' housing is also up for consideration, as is the option of using the whole site as a Care Home. The council might also consider selling to a supermarket chain, though the difficulty of access makes this a low probability.
If the six months marketing period starts now the site will be available for sale in May next year. Meanwhile WC will also go through the formalities of consulting the Area Board and Town Council on its proposals.