Council to review County Hall sale

The sale of County Hall is to be reviewed following the intervention of the council's Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

Last month, the council's cabinet approved plans to relocate democratic services to a new council chamber and committee room in Stevenage. County Hall would then be marketed for alternative uses, potentially including residential or commercial.

Most adminstrative roles at the council were relocated to Stevenge in 2023, with democratic services retained in the historic buildings at the front of the site, including committee meetings and full council and cabinet meetings. However, with little interest shown in the buildings as employment space, the council last month decided to also relocate democratic services to Stevenage and remarket the County Hall site with less restrictions.

A report prepared by the council's strategic assets manager, James Barber, stated: "Since September 2023, County Hall has been marketed for sale or lease for employment uses. There has been limited market interest in the use of the site for employment activities, so it is proposed that the site be marketed for alternative uses.

"There is ongoing work to relocate those operations that remain at County Hall. Considering the ambitions of the new administration, this work now includes the relocation of the democratic meetings to the Stevenage campus.

"Given the plans to relocate additional member spaces, including the council chamber, there is less of a requirement for the county council to retain space at County Hall. Therefore, it is recommended that the marketing for alternative uses covers the entire site, including those spaces in the front part of the old building currently used for member meetings.

"There has been a recent decision by East Herts Council (EHC) following a nomination by interested parties to designate the cricket pitch and woodland at County Hall as an asset of community value.

"As part of this allocation, the county council will need to follow the formal processes in place for these types of assets, which include notifications of the intended future sale and potential moratorium periods.

"The final decision on the future of the County Hall site will be the subject of a separate cabinet decision once the marketing exercise has been completed and any preferred disposal strategy and potential bidders identified.

"Given that the old building is Grade II* listed, and the front part contains many of the most significant heritage features, bidders will be expected to demonstrate that their proposals fully consider the long-term viability of the space and protect its built heritage.

"The county council is obliged to get the best consideration for its assets. Bidders will be invited to prepare proposals for the site, and this should include both financial information and their strategy for securing planning permission for the intended use."

The council’s nine-strong Liberal Democrat cabinet agreed to take the entire site to market on the 23rd June.

However, the decision has been challenged by the council's Conservative Group, highlighting the cost of moving councillor services to Stevenage at a time when the future of the council is uncertain under the government's planned reforms to local government.

The council's Overview & Scrutity Committee have now sent the plans back to council leaders, suggesting that the plans should be discussed by the Full Council.

A full report from Local Democracy Reporting can be found on the Hemel Today's website.