DORSET County Council has approved the disposal of several of its properties as it looks to make savings.

DCC’s Cabinet agreed the disposal of several buildings around the county as it looks to continue its asset management plan which will eventually see the council operate from just seven offices.

The plans include disposing of the lease at Top O’ Town House in Dorchester, the former Bridport Local Office on St Andrews Road and the Royal Manor and Southwell school buildings on Portland, once they are returned to the council.

The Homes and Community Agency has expressed an interest in acquiring both sites on Portland for homes for first time buyers. The council will pursue negotiations to acquire the two sites at market value when each is returned to the council when IPACA moves to Maritime House in September.

The council also agreed to dispose of Gupples Farm in Fontmell Magna, Sea View Farm in Netherbury, land at the former West Lulworth Primary School site and the former North Dorset local office and annexe in Sturminster Newton.

Top O’Town House has been the council’s dedicated training centre and the facilities will now be provided elsewhere within the buildings estate.

The council holds the property on a lease, with running costs of around £93,000 a year and this will be surrendered early as it expires in December 2017.

The former Bridport local office is to be vacated by the current occupants, adult services and children’s services teams by the end of November.

It was recommended that the soon-to-be vacated elements are declared surplus to requirement and the property is marketed as a whole.

The building is also occupied by a pre-school with a lease that expires in February 2018 and it will be market as a whole subject to the lease to the pre-school as soon as possible.

Work is taking place that will rationalise the office estate and improve the local offices that the council will be retaining.

The plans to move to just seven buildings it is hoped will save the council around £100,000 a year in running costs.

The former office in North Dorset was vacated in September 2015 and the adjacent annexe bungalow is due to be vacated in September this year, both are seen as surplus to the council’s requirements.

Other plans will see the council dispose of the St Martin’s Care Home and former Adult Education Building in Gillingham and purchase the Blandford Waste Management Centre site,

if suitable terms can be agreed with the environmental company Suez.