Devon County Council has embarked on a property rationalisation programme intended to help address its budget shortfalls by deciding to dispose of land and buildings in Exeter and elsewhere worth up to £10 million.
They include Larkbeare House and gardens, the foot of which fronts onto the River Exe between Colleton Hill and The Port Royal, residential development land resulting from the demolition of offices at County Hall and Compass House in Magalen Road, the home of adult mental health service Talkworks.
Ivybank, a young offenders support service office in St David’s Hill, and St George’s Road Youth Centre and land at Pottington Industrial Estate, both in Barnstaple, are also to be sold.
Larkbeare House, built in 1862 with gardens laid out by Veitch
A report to Wednesday’s county council Cabinet meeting said the property rationalisation programme is intended to lease or sell surplus land and buildings to raise capital receipts and increase income while making savings by no longer having to run and maintain properties that are surplus to need.
The county council said it currently owns, leases or occupies 364 schools, 500 parcels of land, 64 farms and around 300 other buildings including offices, libraries, youth centres, industrial estates, recycling centres and children’s homes across the county.
It hopes the sale of these six properties, which are the first tranche of disposals under the programme, will raise between £6-10 million – contingent on planning permission being granted for the development sites – and reduce its annual running costs expenditure by around £300,000.
It also wants to avoid overdue maintenance costs of between £3-5 million at the three Exeter buildings, all of which it expects to generate large capital receipts.
The services delivered from Larkbeare House and Ivybank will be relocated and Devon Partnership Trust will be given notice to vacate Compass House.
The county council says it “will endeavour to honour and officiate” wedding services booked at Larkbeare House and “will be in contact with couples who may be affected”.
