South Walks House in Dorchester ought to be considered for sale – according to town resident Philip Jordan.
He says the committee room there has proved too small for some meetings, even when they are held at a time when most people have to work.
“It was controversial before it was built, lacks good planning internally and externally and its own access is difficult and makes the Charles Street ‘development’ more problematic than it already was,” he told Thursday evening’s full council meeting.
But cabinet member Cllr Peter Wharf says it won’t be appearing on the ‘for sale’ list anytime soon and may not be sold at all.
He said that the council was currently considering what to do with its 1,754 ‘assets’, more than 600 of which are building where people work. Also in the portfolio was around 900 plots of land, including 41 council-owned farms.
“This won’t be something we can decide in a few minutes…it will need careful thought and we will share what we are going to do about the disposal of any of these assets in September,” he said.
Cllr Wharf said there would be a detailed evaluation of each and a judgement made about disposals which would come before councillors.
There have been calls for the council to make use of its buildings and land to benefit specific communities with a lobby from Weymouth and Portland asking for new council offices to be set up in the area to promote employment and reduce the need to commute.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel