A report recommending a 20-year lease of the South Walks House building in Dorchester to local NHS organisations will be discussed at Dorset Council’s Cabinet meeting on 7 December.
This is the preferred option for future use of the building, and local NHS organisations will make their decision on this in February / March 2022.
The proposed use of South Walks House by the NHS for a combination of clinical and office purposes would provide a central and easily accessible location for the NHS, allowing it to widen its service provision for Dorset residents, and would provide the best financial return to the council.
South Walks House is currently being used for six months by Dorset County Hospital and other NHS partners as an Outpatient Assessment Centre, with rapid access clinics operating out of the ground floor as part of a county-wide effort to tackle NHS waiting lists.
If local NHS organisations decide not to proceed with the lease or are unable to reach a decision by 31 March 2022, the report recommends that councillors should agree to pursue other options for the future use of South Walks House.
Dorset Council’s Cabinet agreed an office strategy for Dorchester-based staff in April this year, consolidating most of the council’s office requirements at the County Hall site. This is already generating substantial cost savings for the council. For example, by ending the lease of Princes House in March 2021, the council is saving £270,000 a year. Dorset Council requires less office space in Dorchester because of the reductions in staffing resulting from local government reorganisation, and because of the move to hybrid working with more employees now working from home and other locations.
Detailed investigation into options for the future use on South Walks House has been conducted over the past few months. Short-listed options include selling the building, converting the building for residential accommodation, converting the building for hotel use, and leasing it to local NHS organisations. Each option has been analysed and ranked to establish which would be the most financially advantageous to the council and provide the best wider economic and social benefits. Other options for use of the building were also looked at but found not to be viable, including use as a care home, for retail, a school, as managed offices, a GP surgery, and an information technology training centre.
Cllr Tony Ferrari, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Property and Assets, said:
“Our overriding priority is to secure the best outcome for Dorset residents, both in terms of the services that can be provided to them from South Walks House, and in terms of financial savings for the council. Leasing the building to local NHS partners is the ideal solution. We do, however, have a number of other viable options to pursue should the NHS decide they do not want to proceed”.
