Grade II listed town centre block of flats to be sold
Brooke House in Basildon could be sold, after being shut to residents since last Summer
An Essex council is close to selling off a Grade II listed town centre block of flats, according to the new leader. Brooke House in Basildon Town Centre has been shut to residents since it was hit by two floods last summer.
The 14-storey high-rise was built in the 1960s and has 84 flats. Basildon Borough Council, which owns the block, previously agreed a major £16 million regeneration of the block back in June 2022.
Now, Andy Barnes, the new Conservative council boss, says it is “pretty likely” the council will sell it to reduce the “burden” on the local authority. He added: “The view is that a private developer is better positioned to give it the repairs it needs, to make it usable again. If a private developer is prepared to step in and take that burden off the council, quite honestly, it’s a no-brainer really. I think we’ve got about £16million set aside for repairs. If they want to do the work instead, it makes sense to us.”
Council tenants were previously moved out of the building, which left 10 tenants of existing leaseholders in the building at the time of the floods last July. The council’s plans for the site included a ground-floor extension for a new entrance, upgrades to the roof, fire escapes, CCTV, insulation, cladding, and windows.
Residents posted online about an email from the council stating the building could be sold off. The council is speaking to a developer, and a deal has been drawn up. Mr Barnes, who’s a Billericay councillor, also said the deal was “looking pretty promising”.
He added: “Brooke House has been an issue for local residents for years, and it’s time to get it sorted. It’s dragged on for goodness knows how long, and this is an opportunity for the private sector to do what it does best. They obviously feel they can make a profit which is why they are interested in taking it off our hands, it looks like a deal that should work for everybody.”