Council reveals building sales plan to save £4.5m

A building on Worcester Street is one of the "surplus" sites identified by the council

Wolverhampton council has revealed plans to sell several buildings aimed at making a budget saving of more than £4m.

Eight sites have been ruled as "surplus to requirements", including community centres, offices and empty shops.

The council set an assets savings target of £4.5m in February as part of this year's budget, and of this, £3.4m will have to be saved from its property budget by 2028.

The move will need the backing of the council's cabinet when it meets on 3 September.

The sites include St Chad's Community Centre in Penn Fields and the Priory Green offices in Pendeford, as well as empty council offices in Showell Circus, Low Hill, and St George's House in Old Hall Street, Wolverhampton.

Empty shops in Wolverhampton city centre, including in Worcester Street and Salop Street, would also be part of the council's intended sales.

The Maltings off Stafford Street, an adult education centre, has also been deemed surplus to requirements and would be put up for sale, as would offices at Unit 6 in the Shaw Park Business Village in Bushbury.

The aging Priory Green offices in Whitburn Close, Pendeford, currently home to council safeguarding staff, would also be sold, while the empty offices in Low Hill could be used for housing, according to the council.

St Chad's Community Centre, next to the Church of St Chad and St Mark in Owen Road, Penn Fields, is not used due to its condition, according to the council, and also appears on the list of assets which will be sold.

St George's House in Old Hall Street has been used as offices by contractor McLaughlin & Harvey during the £61m work to build new educational facilities as part of the new City Learning Quarter.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.