County council's former headquarters up for sale

Surrey County Council’s former headquarters are up for sale, with planning permission granted for 290 new homes on the site.

Developer RER Kingston is selling the land for an undisclosed fee, having secured permission to redevelop it.

The county council, now based in Reigate, has faced questions about the sale of the land for £25m.

The site could be worth £250m when redeveloped, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Marketing the former county hall site in Penrhyn Road, Kingston, estate agents Savills described it as a “landmark development opportunity” in the borough.

Planning permission was granted for 254 private flats, 16 shared ownership flats and 20 affordable rent flats both in the restored and extended county hall, and in new blocks.

Surrey County Council meeting documents show the council sold the site for £25m in 2021.

The sale was discussed during a meeting of the county council in March, when it was asked if the sale represented the “best value for residents”.

Documents showed costs would have been incurred for empty business rate liability, estimated at £700,000 per year, alongside security and other costs.

Cabinet member for property, waste and infrastructure, Natalie Bramhall, told the meeting planning application costs would have been in excess of £1m.

She added that to get to the full £250m they would also need to spend "hundreds of millions” on the site.

She added: "I actually think we secured a good deal and would again sell at that price."

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, and on X. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.