By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
Questions have been raised over whether the sale of Cheltenham’s Municipal Offices will fall through like that of Gloucestershire Airport as staff are being relocated to the landmark building.
The home of Cheltenham Borough Council is in the process of being sold and could be turned into a luxury spa by its future owners.
Council chiefs have been in negotiations with preferred bidder Almiranta Capital since May last year.
But now council housing staff are understood to be relocating to the grade II-listed Promenade building from Hesters Way Community Resource Centre prompting questions over the sale.
“Apart from the fact this takes us and our services away from the community, it raises questions over the sale of the Municipal Offices,” a council worker, who did not wish to be named, said.
“Why are staff being moved in there when it’s supposedly being sold?”
Council leader Rowena Hay (LD, Oakley), responded to questions about the sale at the last full council meeting and said it was a “fact of life” that any deal could fall through.
“Do I think that it could go down the same way as the airport, clearly, it could,” Cllr Hay said at the meeting on March 23.
“But I’m not prepared at this point to say that yes that is the way it is going to go.
“Because the noises, the work and the due diligence that is happening is all very positive as it was with the airport.
“But sometimes these very big deals just don’t come off. As anyone who has been involved in business and selling commercial [property knows] it’s a fact of life.”
A council spokesperson said they regularly review the premises they operate out of as a matter of best practice.
“Any movement of staff will be managed and we will work to ensure that our community interactions are not negatively affected,” they said.
“We remain in an exclusivity period with a preferred bidder for the sale of the Municipal Offices.”