'Serious concern' over council buildings sale

Plans to sell council-owned buildings - including a shop left derelict for nine years - have been delayed over "serious concerns".

Hoarding on the former shop on Bedminster Parade, Bristol, has shut the bus lane and pavement, in the expectation it would be sold to become 11 flats for homeless people.

That sale, five others and a number of Bristol City Council's properties not made public due to "commercial sensitivities", were deferred due to an ongoing review into selling off properties.

Councillor Tom Renhard called it "a fire sale of council assets".

As reported in January, the Bedminster Parade property was found to be in a much worse condition than thought and was likely to have to be demolished instead of refurbished, so the council hired a land agent to find potential development partners.

Selling all the vacant properties would earn the council at least £2.1m, plus £120,000 savings in utilities and business rates, according to a council report. It would lose £75,000 in rent.

The council aims to raise £21.6million by March by selling off buildings, but is currently £6m short of that target.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the decision to delay followed a meeting behind closed doors after conservative councillor John Goulandris raised "serious concern" with the buildings not made public.

At a meeting on 18 November, Mr Renhard said a decision would be made after a task group - into selling off council assets - reports back in January.

Mr Renhard added: "This seems premature... when we’re about to review our process around the disposal of assets.

“Proceeding with this today undermines the whole purpose of that property task-and-finish group, gets rid of any goodwill and carries on a fire sale of council assets, and I’ve not been convinced there is a financial need that it can’t wait two months while the group does its work.”

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