Lincolnshire Council moves forward with sale of 40% of its estate

In December last year, the council began advertising three of its large buildings – 9/11, 13 and 15/17 The Avenue – through Lambert, Smith and Hampton.

According to Coun Richard Butroid, executive member for property, the buildings were being underutilised with more staff opting to work from home.

He has since revealed the properties have been sold and the council is now proceeding with the necessary legal processes.

However, the sale is subject to planning permissions, which are yet to be validated by City of Lincoln Council.

While Coun Butroid could not disclose the exact selling prices, he did mention initial plans suggested they would be repurposed into student accommodation.

He said: “Initial conversations were around student accommodation, but I’m not sure if that’s still the case.”

The buildings were listed as follows:

• Lot 1: 9/11 The Avenue, 6,049 sq feet floor space, £575,000;
• Lot 2: 13 The Avenue, 3,208 sq feet floor space, £425,000;
• Lot 3: 15/17 The Avenue, 6,523 sq feet floor space, £600,000.

Looking forward, the representative for Gainsborough Rural South suggested more of the council’s properties could be listed for sale to avoid maintaining vacant buildings.

“With leases coming up, we’re looking at utilising what we’ve got and possibly getting rid of some of the other properties,” he added.

As part of the council’s Smarter Working strategy, most staff members work in the office only two to three days a week, helping the council attract potential talent from all over the country.