Hampshire County Council to sell three Winchester buildings

Three Minsters House, in Winchester High Street, Four Chimneys Family Centre, near Andover Road and a property on the county council’s Monarch Way site, near Romsey Road, will soon be on the market.

The buildings will close to staff later this year and services will be relocated to other county council buildings in Winchester.

READ MORE: Hampshire County Council to sell property across Hampshire

Monarch Way (Image: Google Maps)

Many people working in council offices spend a large amount of their time working in the community with the people who need them – delivering services such as social care to vulnerable children and adults. A higher number of staff also work remotely since the pandemic.

This means, the county council believes it can accommodate the same number of staff in fewer buildings, providing an opportunity to make savings on running costs.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Rob Humby said: “We have always carefully monitored the use of our buildings to ensure they remain cost-effective, and to release savings whenever possible. We have been reviewing our office accommodation to understand the opportunities for further reductions, which will reduce recurring revenue costs and ensure the way we work remains efficient and effective.

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“It is vitally important that people can access public services near to where they live, and it’s crucial we maintain good public access where it’s needed. But when it comes to the functions that are delivered ‘behind the scenes’ in our offices, it makes sense to look at how these spaces fit our future needs.

“We are keeping our staff, who are located in these buildings, regularly informed as plans progress. We always ensure relocations are made with minimal disruption to local services or to our residents.” 

Most of the services to be relocated are office functions that are not generally visited by the public. However, there are a few services that are currently visited by local people. These services will be moved to other locations within Winchester that are accessible by public transport.

In 2023, a review was undertaken to address the extra office capacity and find opportunities to reduce the number of buildings and associated facilities.

The review found that the county council could do so by moving services, developing new working methods and using retained buildings more efficiently.

Office block Capital House in Andover Road, Winchester was sold last year to Southampton University for Winchester School of Art.