§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those properties held by his Department and agencies responsible to him which are(a) wholly and (b) mainly unoccupied at present, giving locations and when they became so unoccupied in each case. [105301]
§ Mr. StrawThe requested information on unoccupied properties held by my Department and its agencies is set out in the table entitled "Wholly or mainly vacant properties on the Home Office non-prison estate".
In addition, the Home Office is in the process of acquiring/fitting out leasehold offices in London, Croydon and Merseyside to accommodate staff for new initiatives. It is anticipated that these properties will be occupied within a few weeks of acquisition.
Prison Estate
A strategic plan is currently being implemented to sell surplus Prison Service-owned land by 31 March 2002. This mainly involves plots of land near existing prison establishments; however, it does include three whole sites. These are two former stores sites at Branston, Staffordshire and Steventon, Oxfordshire, which are partially unoccupied and a site at Finnamore Wood near Marlow, Buckinghamshire, which is wholly unoccupied. The Service has also recently purchased sites for development at Ashworth—Merseyside, Belmarsh—South London, Peterborough and adjacent to Birmingham prison.
The following residential properties have been notified to the centre as being vacant. The Prison Service's Estate Section does not hold information on the length of time properties have been unoccupied and could only obtain this from the local Governors at disproportionate cost. However, the majority of the properties currently being marketed have been vacant for six months or less.
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Wholly or mainly vacant properties on the Home Office non-prison estate Property Unoccupied from Reason Poltimore near Exeter, Devon (bunker/land) December 1993 Sale with solicitors Hope Cove, near Salcombe, Devon (bunker/land) November 1992 Three separate sales imminent Southwoods sub-station Southwoods, Yeovil (bunker/land) November 1992 but used for automatic equipment until recently Property to be sold STC Gringley, Nottinghamshire (land) March 1995 Intended as a Secure Training Centre. Planning consent refused and site is being prepared for sale Lunar House, Croydon (offices) July 1999 Property currently being refurbished for re-use Bridge House, London (offices) Acquired by HO December 1999 To be refurbished as new UK Passport Agency HQ RAF Oakington, Cambridge (ex-military camp) Acquired by HO January 2000 Being refurbished as an Immigration Reception Centre HMP Aldington, Near Ashford, Kent (ex-prison) August 1999 Ex-prison estate. To be demolished and site used as an Immigration Detention Centre 2 Marsham Street, London (offices) Leased by HO April 1999 (mainly unoccupied) Required for central London accommodation strategy. Bids expected 6 March 2000 16 vacant staff houses at the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh 1999 (varies, some have been vacant for a year, some have just become available) To be let short-term pending outcome of College review
Vacant residential properties owned by HMPS in England and Wales listed by establishment as at 17 January 2000 Establishment Property type Number Schedule A—vacant properties currently being disposed of Birmingham House 1 Blantyre House, Goudhurst, Kent House 1 Blundeston, Lowestoft, Sussex House 1 Deerbolt, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham House 1 Dover House 1 Everthorpe, Brough Yorkshire House 2 Exeter House 1 Feltham, Middlesex House 1 Foston Hall, Foston, Derby House 1 Guys Marsh, Shaftsbury, Dorset House 1 Haverigg, Millow, Cumbria House 1 Kirkham, Preston House 3 468W
Vacant properties owned by HMPS in England and Wales listed by establishment as at 17 January 2000 Establishment Property type Number Retention Schedule B—vacant properties retained on security/operational grounds (including chaplains) or for future development Acklington, Morpeth Northumberland House 1 Chaplain Askham Grange, Askham Richard York Flat 3 Operational/Security Belmarsh, London SE28 House 1 Chaplain Brixton, London SW2 Flat 1 Chaplain Brixton House 1 Chaplain Buckley Hall, Rochdale Lancs House 2 Operational/Security Cookham Wood, Rochester Kent House 1 Development Durham Flat 4 Chaplain Gartree, Market Harborough Leics House 1 Chaplain Hollesley Bay, Woodbridge Suffolk House 1 Operational/Security Holloway, London N7 Flat 12 Development Holloway House 1 Operational/Security Hull House 1 Chaplain Huntercombe, Nuffield Oxford House 1 Chaplain Kirkham, Preston Lanes House 1 Chaplain Latchmere House, Richmond Surrey House 1 Development Leeds House 1 Chaplain Leyhill, Wotton-Under-Edge, Glos House 2 Chaplain (1) Lindholme, Hatfield Doncaster House 2 Chaplains Long Lartin, Evesham Worcs House 1 Chaplain Low Newton, Durham House 5 Development Moorland, Hatfield Doncaster House 2 Operational/Security 469W
Vacant properties owned by HMPS in England and Wales listed by establishment as at 17 January 2000 Establishment Property type Number Lindholme, Hatfield Doncaster House 11 Long Lartin, Evesham, Worc. House 2 Manchester Flat 1 Mount, Hemel Hempstead House 1 Parkhurst, Isle of Wight House 1 Pentonville, London N7 House 1 Stockten, Stretton Leics. House 13 Wandsworth, London SW 18 Flat 1 Wayland, Griston Norfolk House 1 Winchester House 1 Wormwood Scrubs, London W12 House 4 Wymott, Leyland Preston House 1
Vacant properties owned by HMPS in England and Wales listed by establishment as at 17 January 2000 Establishment Property type Number Retention Moreton Hall, Swinderby Lincoln House 4 Development North Sea Camp, Boston Lincolnshire House 11 Development Parkhurst, Isle of Wight House 1 Development Pentonville, London N7 House 1 Operational/Security Portland House 1 Operational/Security Rochester House 1 Operational/Security Standford Hill, Isle of Sheppy Kent House 1 Operational/Security Stocken, Stretton Leics House 5 Operational/Security Styal, Wilmslow Cheshire House 4 Operational/Security Swinfen Hall, Lichfield Staffs House 1 Operational/Security Wandsworth, London SW18 Flat 1 Defective1 Wandsworth House 1 Chaplain Wormwood Scrubs, London W12 Flat 3 Leasehold2 Wormwood Scrubs Flats 17 Development 98 1 But plan to sell if possible 2 Can be sold if freehold obtained