Bucks Council sells office for £8m it ‘desperately needs’
The money from the sale will fund the council’s capital programme
Buckinghamshire Council has sold one of its offices to a housing developer for £8 million, it can be revealed.
The sum the authority received for the sale of its King George V House site in Amersham was obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service under freedom of information laws.
The money from the sale will fund the council’s capital programme, which covers spending on long-term assets like new buildings and infrastructure.
London-based property firm the Even Group was announced as the buyer of King George V House in February of this year.
Cabinet members agreed to sell the offices to the company during a September meeting at which council leader Martin Tett admitted his authority ‘desperately needed’ the ‘substantial capital sum’ from the sale.
The Even Group said it looked forward to the ‘exciting’ demolition of the office and car park ahead of its redevelopment for new homes, including affordable housing.
Plans to redevelop King George V House have not yet been published, but designs will be released soon, according to the Even Group.
The council closed the offices at the beginning of 2024, arguing that attendance had dropped to 16 per cent of capacity following the Covid-19 pandemic.
John Chilver, the cabinet member for accessible housing and resources, said the redevelopment would help the council meet the ‘massive house building target imposed on it by central government’.
He said the new homes would also help house people on the council’s housing waiting list close to Amersham town centre.