Councillors vow to explore options for Dorchester's Stratton House (From Dorset Echo)

Councillors vow to explore options for Dorchester's Stratton House

10:30am Wednesday 10th October 2012 in News

OFFICERS vowed to explore all options after it was revealed the district had still not reached an agreement to sell its Stratton House site.

The executive committee was told in a report that two bids had come in but ‘neither bid was consistent with the council’s expectations’.

The options that will be considered include selling now, waiting for market recovery, disposing of part of the site or developing the site itself or with a development partner.

However, members were told that council officers are currently working up the details and cost of each proposal before coming back for them to make an informed decision.

Director of resources Jason Vaughan said: “There are many different ways you can package a complex site like this and what we are doing is working out which is the best way.”

Council leader Richard Gould stressed that, even if the existing offices are not sold immediately, the move to the new site at Charles Street would still save the authority money.

However, Councillor Alastair Chisholm expressed concern that the figure initially put forward by the council in the business case for moving offices would not be achieved.

He said: “We were assured that Stratton House would fetch £3.5million.

“That was a very important part of the arithmetic for moving offices.”