Former Northamptonshire care home could be sold by the council for up to £900,000
A former Desborough care home could be sold by the council for up to £900,000, as a ward councillor has shared news of the site’s proposed disposal.
Beech Close is a former residential care home constructed in the 1980s. It was closed down by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) several years ago, partly due to structural issues with the building.
Posting an update on Facebook on Sunday (February 1), Cllr David Howes (Conservative, Desborough) shared an email stating that a report with a recommendation to sell the asset will be going to the executive panel later this month.
An extract from an NNC asset report attached to the social media post reads: “The home has several structural and building issues that affect both compliance and legal requirements needed within a care home, which led to its closure.
“Redevelopment of the property to support current service needs has been explored with the various services including housing, education and the Children’s Trust.
“The site will generate interest from private and care and health service providers as well as residential developers. We expect the site will generate a capital receipt in excess of £900,000.”
The report says that proposals for a council housing scheme on the site are also being assessed for feasibility, but that if it is not viable, it will be offered to the open market.
It also adds that there is currently no income received from the site standing vacant, but that it does incur ongoing costs to secure and maintain the former care home.
Cllr Howes said he was supportive of the council disposing of the site in principle, but suggested that NNC should first secure outline planning consent for a bungalow development and the demolition of the existing structure ‘to both protect local amenity and maximise the capital receipt for the authority’.
The LDRS contacted NNC to ask the authority to confirm its plans for the Beech Close site.
A spokesman said: “North Northamptonshire Council’s executive are due to receive a report on the disposal of surplus assets across its portfolio – we can confirm this list currently includes Beech Close.
“The report with more detail will be published on the council’s website a week before the executive meeting.”
According to a Freedom of Information request submitted to NNC, the authority currently owns 16 buildings and parcels of land which are not in use.
This includes the Jackson Lane Car Park and Croyland Hall and Croyland Abbey in Wellingborough, the Boys Club in Orchard Road, Finedon, and the Lawrences Factory in Desborough and Saunders Close in Kettering, which the Reform UK executive recently voted to demolish.
It is not clear how many will be put forward for disposal in the upcoming executive report.