Council offices put up for sale in Ludlow
Council offices in one of Shropshire's towns have been put up for sale in the hope of attracting a buyer to redevelop the site.
The offices at Stone House Ludlow, which also houses the town's register office, have been put on the market by Shropshire Council. But the authority has not revealed how much it wants for the property.
It comes after council chiefs held a review of its premises and concluded the offices in Corve Street, which is made up of four buildings, had become significantly under-used and were not offering value for money for local residents.
Felicity Roberts, spokeswoman for Shropshire Council, said the review had found it possible to relocate the remaining staff and functions at Stone House to other council buildings in the area, including an enhanced customer service hub being created at Ludlow Library and Museum Resource Centre.
The council is now seeking "expressions of interest" in the building and wants to hear from would-be buyers what they propose to do with the site.
The council's sales information says: "The main building was built in 1992 and may be suitable for refurbishment and occupation. This could be on either a leasehold or freehold basis.
"The site may alternatively be redeveloped subject to obtaining the usual consents."
The council has not asked for any bids to be submitted at this stage.
Some details of the service provision shake up have yet to be announced.
They include options for providing ceremony space after the building is sold, for relocating the telecommunications mast and for redesigning the network in order to serve people in a different way.
Steph Jackson, Shropshire Council's head of commercial services, said: "In the current financial climate, maintaining under-occupied buildings is not something we can justify.
"We have to ensure that services are what people really need and don't cost more than they should.
"We have to look at everything we do to ensure money is being spent where it will have the most impact and is putting customers' needs first.
"The sale of the building, and savings from running and maintenance costs, gives us the opportunity to invest in new ways of delivering and offering access to our services.
"We have been working to ensure that staff and partners have been fully supported during this review and will continue to support our colleagues as services are relocated."
