Three historic buildings could be sold for £1 each

Oliver Cromwell House is one of three buildings in Ely that could be sold for £1

Three historic buildings could be sold to a city council for a total of £3.

City of Ely Council is currently leasing Maltings Cottage, the Oliver Cromwell House and The Maltings from East Cambridgeshire District Council.

And the district councillors have now unanimously agreed to either extend the leases, or sell the freeholds for each of sites for £1 to the city council.

It is hoped the move will put the buildings "in the hands of people who have the interests of people in Ely at their heart".

The Maltings and Maltings Cottage, in Ely, could be purchased by City of Ely Council

The decision was made during the district council's finance and assets committee on Thursday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

During the meeting councillors were told that, because the buildings were proposed to be sold to another public body, there was a "community value" in selling the buildings at the rate of £1 each.

The condition of the buildings was also discussed.

Maltings Cottage, for example, had deteriorated further than the council would have liked.

And Oliver Cromwell House is an old timber building which officers said would always need ongoing maintenance and repairs, something the city council was "fully aware" of.

Officers told councillors the city council had not yet decided if it wanted to buy the buildings or continue to extend the leases for another 25 years.

Alan Sharp, a Conservative councillor who chairs the committee, echoed this but said there was "no pressure" from the district council either way.