A disused council building could be sold to a nationally renowned care home provider to help support North Yorkshire’s ageing population.
The civic centre at Stone Cross in Northallerton served as the headquarters for the former Hambleton District Council before the authority was merged into North Yorkshire Council in 2023.
The building no longer has an operational need with many services that were previously run at the Rotary Way site, including a customer services hub, having already relocated to other council-owned premises to better serve customers.
The building was put on the market earlier this year after it was agreed its sale would provide valuable funds that we can reinvest elsewhere to help reduce annual running costs.
Any prospective sale would not affect the leisure centre or the former caretaker’s property which are located next to the disused building.
Members of our executive will be asked on Tuesday 15 July, to approve a prospective purchase from a care provider, which proposes to use the site for a care home.
Our deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, whose responsibilities include finance and assets, said: “Following local government reorganisation and the launch of this authority, we inherited a large number of buildings that were no longer fully used.
“It is imperative that we look carefully at the buildings we own and ensure all the existing space is used as efficiently as possible, so that we maximise the quality of services we provide to residents as well as reduce running costs.
“The sale of the civic centre at Stone Cross would provide a significant amount of money that can be reinvested into other key areas, as well as generate crucial revenue savings.
“As a result, we will consider the proposals carefully when the executive meets next week.”
In April this year, we moved our customer services hub from Stone Cross to the Campus Building at Treadmills, on the site of the town’s former prison.
Located in the heart of Northallerton town centre, the new hub is the first of its kind within North Yorkshire to be specially designed to provide easier access for vulnerable residents.
It hopes to better serve customers by offering a more responsive and consistent experience that prioritises accessibility and inclusivity, connecting residents with a range of services both on-site and through video technology.
The back-office services that previously operated from Stone Cross have been mainly relocated to the County Hall campus.
With the building no longer in full use, it was agreed earlier this year that its sale would provide the best outcome for the council and residents.
The site was subsequently offered to the market through informal tender, with the negotiations led by our property consultancy, Align Property Partners.
The latest annual report from our director of public health, Louise Wallace, has revealed that 24 per cent of people in the county are now aged 65 or over, compared to 18 per cent elsewhere in England.
It is expected that the number of residents aged over 65 in North Yorkshire will increase by 51,100 (a rise of 31 per cent) by 2043. This would mean a third of the county’s population will be aged over 65, accentuating the pressures on care services.