By Chris Cornford
The civic centre and barracks building at Sandown is being considered for sale to the Island’s NHS Trust – to be revamped as a new community mental health facility and wider health hub for the Bay area.
A meeting of the cabinet of the Isle of Wight Council is being recommended to approve the sale when it meets next Thursday (March 11).
The building is currently only partly occupied for council use and is in need of major maintenance and refurbishment.
The council has been approached by the NHS Trust to purchase the freehold of the building, with funding from NHS England.
The report to the cabinet says it means the building will be able to be fully utilised as a community hub for the Bay area.
The connected civic centre and barracks building is part of a larger council site in Sandown, which includes the Heights leisure centre and car parking. The wider site includes Sandown Medical Centre, which contains two GP practices.
The civic centre and barracks building was formerly the main offices for the old South Wight Borough Council and, more recently, has provided accommodation for various Isle of Wight Council services, including revenues and benefits, housing, and parking services. These services have been relocated in recent years as part of the council’s property rationalisation programme.
Isle of Wight Observer