Continued drive to sell surplus council assets in Northumberland

Northumberland County Council has already generated almost £12million in income by selling buildings and land it no longer needs including Thornbrae and the former council chamber in Alnwick.

The council has also been investing in a range of other properties to help regenerate market towns, including Alnwick’s Northumberland Hall.

This week the council is starting to test the market on a number of other sites.

By putting the properties and land on the market it will help the council to establish the value of its assets and how much interest there may be from prospective purchasers.

The sites and buildings, which also include the County Hall site in Morpeth, will be marketed by Bradley Hall.

Meanwhile, a new film explaining the council’s Market Town’s Initiative is now available online.

To help ensure the public know the reasons behind the authority’s plans for its nine major towns, including relocating County Hall to Ashington, a short film has been created.

Grant Davey, leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “Making sure everyone has a good understanding of the reasons behind our market towns initiative is vital.

“After all it will be the public who will reap the benefits of services being located together in our market towns in fresh, modern facilities.

“This short film explains the reasons behind the decisions we’ve taken and our future plans – all in the space of two-and-a-half minutes.”