An historic manor house and a shopping centre are among a host of properties which could be sold to help a cash-strapped council balance its books.
Labour-run Medway Council looks poised to offload 30 of its own assets to help scale down its costly maintenance spend on buildings and reduce its predicted budget overspend.
In a bid to help claw back the cash the authority is set consider recommendations to sell off major properties including Temple Manor, a grade-I listed manor house in Strood, Gillingham Business Park, and Rainham District Shopping Centre.
The properties also include units in industrial estates in Livingstone, Scotland, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, and Cwmbran in Wales,
Other Medway properties included on the list are the Indoor Bowls Club on Prince Arthur Road and Britton Farm Shopping Centre in Gillingham high Street, and Warren Wood Social Club in Rochester.
Eastgate Cottage is also on the list of surplus properties, but this is separate from Eastgate House on Rochester High Street, as well as nearly 180 square kilometres of land at Abbotts Court Farm, Bredhurst in Gillingham.
If sold, it’s predicted the portfolio will regain the council £34.9million.
It’s hoped the move will reduce the authority’s maintenance spend on properties it owns and bring down the overall predicted overspend of the council – which was predicted to be £16.5million in July.
Since 2018, Medway Council has sold 47 properties it previously owned and raised £12.6million – but more may now be on the way.
The 30 properties earmarked for sale are in the first phase of the council’s property review, which evaluates what the council owns and whether it should be sold.
Phase one focuses on non-operational properties – those properties which the council owns and is either holding for future development, being rented out by the council, or which are currently vacant and unused.
Phase two will look at operational properties which are those which are involved in providing key services such as schools, car parks, libraries, and recycling centres.
The phase two review is predicted to be presented to councillors early next year.
In response to the plans, Cllr Michael Pearce (Independent Group) has started an online petition for the National Trust or English Heritage to purchase Temple Manor in Strood if the authority do decide to sell it.
He says it is important to protect the site which was built during the 13th century by the Knights Templar military and religious order to provide lodging for dignitaries travelling between Dover and London.
The site has had many well-known owners, including Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, who discovered the gunpowder plot of 1605, but eventually was sold to the City of Rochester in the 1930s.
Over the course of the Second World War it became neglected and was damaged by vandals, even being considered for demolition.
But in 1950 it was granted grade-I listing and restoration work began.
The full list which officers recommend for selling, by area, are:
Chatham
Site of 121-129 The Brook.
Capstone Farm, Capstone Road, Farmland adjacent to Capstone Farm Country Park.
Former Fire Station and Public Toilets Arches, New Cut.
Land at 126-150 Chatham Hill.
Land to the south-east of the end of Northdane Way, Lordswood.
Ground Floor Shop 23-25 High Street, Brompton.
Rochester
Land and building rear of 70 Maidstone Road.
Stirling Sports Centre, Maidstone Road.
Eastgate Cottage, High Street.
Warren Wood Social Club.
Strood
Temple Manor, Knight Road.
Northbank House, Sir Thomas Longley Road.
Rainham
Rainham District Shopping Centre.
Gillingham
Land at Abbotts Court Farm, Bredhurst.
Gillingham Golf Club, Woodlands Road.
Eastcourt & Mariners Fields Farmland adjacent to Riverside Country Park.
Britton Farm Shopping Centre, High Street.
Industrial Estate, Railway Street.
Indoor Bowls Club, Prince Arthur Road.
Gillingham Business Park.
Outside of Medway:
Vantage Point, Holborough Road, Snodland, Kent.
Unit 1 Court Farm Industrial Estate, Cwmbran, Gwent Wales.
Unit 1 Cherry Trees Court, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
Eldon Road, Aycliffe Industrial Estate, Newton Aycliffe.
Saxon Business Park, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
Suffolk Business Park, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
Unit 5 Deans Industrial Estate, Livingstone, Scotland.
19 Lords Fold, Rainford, Merseyside.
Unit A1 Boothroyds Way, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.
Viking Park, Whitehill, Bordon, Hampshire.
Councillors will discuss the proposals at the regeneration, culture and environment committee meeting tomorrow (October 10).
Their recommendation will be considered by the cabinet on October 29.
English Heritage were approached for comment.
