Fenland puts surplus land under the hammer

Fenland District Council is to auction off a number of former amenity sites and surplus plots of land across its borough next month.

They are due to be auctioned by William H Brown in Norwich on October 10 and an auction catalogue will be released shortly.

The sites include several garage sites across the district and a plot of land in Tithe Road, Chatteris, which would be suitable in principle for the future development of a new home.

A former sewage treatment works in Front Row, Murrow, which would be suitable for garage/parking/amenity use and a first-floor property in Nene Quay, Wisbech will also be auctioned off.

A second set of nine sites are due to go to auction later in the year to allow preparatory works to take place.

The council’s leader and portfolio holder for finance, Cllr Chris Boden said selling the land off will save the local authority money and provide more land for new homes at the same time.

‘Put simply, it is much better to ease the burden on taxpayers rather than maintain odd bits of land and property that the council does not use. It’s common sense,’ said Cllr Boden.

‘The council faces stark choices when it comes to protecting the services our residents rely on and managing large cuts to the funding we receive from government. We have already saved millions of pounds in efficiencies over recent years, so we must look at more innovative and commercial approaches in order to keep meeting this challenge,’ he added.

‘These surplus assets are no longer required to deliver the council’s core services and functions and, in many instances, could be much better utilised. It will also generate much welcomed additional income to support our aspirations for residents, mitigate our budget constraints and fund our future capital programme. I’m confident selling by auction will achieve the maximum value possible for the district and our taxpayers.’

Cllr Ian Benney, the council’s portfolio holder responsible for strategic assets and management, added: ‘Over recent months the council has been proactive in identifying various property assets which are surplus to the council’s requirements.

‘The council’s asset management plan has been followed and consideration has been given to the most appropriate way of marketing and disposing of these assets. Due to their lower value, sale by auction is seen as the most cost-effective method of disposal and the best opportunity to realise a capital receipt before the end of the financial year.’

Photo Credit – Gimono (Pixabay)