Controversial County Hall land sale approved after two-year Devon dispute

A portion of land within a Devon council’s headquarters looks set to be sold after a saga lasting more than two years over its future.

The so-called Matford offices site, which sits within Devon County Council’s County Hall headquarters, will now be sold in a move likely to frustrate those behind the 133 objections to its disposal.

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The move has been endorsed by the county council’s land and property committee, which makes decisions about land and buildings that are no longer needed and may therefore be sold.

The former Conservative administration agreed in October 2023 to include the Matford offices site in a list of potential disposals, but the sale was delayed because the area notionally includes public open space.

This meant further public consultation was required and, when this took place, a wave of opposition emerged. 

Much of the objection centred on concerns that the land could be used for housing rather than for community use.

A further issue arose when the county council secured planning permission for the demolition of the Matford offices, which included a condition that the footprint of the building should be returned to grass.

This helped to galvanise efforts to retain the site as open land.

A lack of action to remove the foundations of the former offices meant the council carried out another public consultation before Christmas, as required ahead of any potential sale.

Despite efforts to block the sale, the land and property committee concluded that selling the land made sense, partly because the proceeds could help fund other expenditures. 

These would be one-off costs, such as property or infrastructure projects, rather than day-to-day spending.

The committee also heard that the land represents less than five per cent of the open space on the County Hall site, meaning its loss would not be significant.

A report presented to the committee also stated that there had not been a footpath in the area proposed for sale, contrary to claims made by some objectors.

Some committee members asked whether, if the site were developed for housing, it could be targeted at key workers.

However, the committee was told that such specific targeting might not be possible, although requiring a proportion of any development to be affordable was considered more realistic.

Members also heard that a contractor has now been appointed to remove the foundations of the former offices and that the land will be grassed over by June.

The site has not yet been marketed, so it is not clear how much the council might receive from its sale.

ABOVE: The portion of land on the County Hall site, outlined in red, that will be sold off and potentially developed for homes (Image courtesy: Devon County Council)

Councillor Tony Stevens (Reform UK, Exwick & St Thomas) asked how many homes a developer might build on the 1.5-acre parcel of land.

An officer said Exeter City Council’s local plan had identified the site as suitable for 29 homes, but added that this would be “extremely dense”.

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter (Conservative, Wearside and Topsham) said he had been on the cabinet when the initial decision to sell the land was made in 2023, but that there had been a “step back” after criticism from opposition members, who described the sale of buildings and land as a “fire sale”.

“There was also a lot of concern about selling the land because we didn’t know what we might be able to use it for in the future,” he added.

Cllr Leadbetter also raised the potential impact of local government reorganisation (LGR), the ongoing process that could see most of Devon’s councils abolished and merged into a smaller number of larger authorities.

“There could be an issue because if the One Devon proposal is selected, we might need more buildings or more space for parking, but we just don’t know, and nobody does,” he said.

Matthew Jones, director of transformation and business services, said that while LGR outcomes were still being considered for Devon, the county council still had a mandate to decide whether to sell land or buildings.

It also emerged that an assessment had been carried out on County Hall’s capacity to accommodate staff from councils that may be merged. One officer said the county council’s offices could “absorb” Exeter City Council staff within the current footprint if required.

“We’ve also got Great Moor House, so we have space to accept higher numbers of staff,” the officer added.

The committee voted in favour of selling the land but asked officers to explore all potential sale routes, including sales to registered providers of social or affordable housing.

Officers said they would be able to complete this analysis ahead of the committee’s next meeting in April.