County Hall in Kingston, the former headquarters of Surrey Country Council, has been purchased by London Square from previous owners, RER London. The 5.2acre site, which includes the main Grade II-listed County Hall and several additional buildings and courtyards, already has planning permission for 292 new homes and over 4000 sqm of commercial space. According to media reports earlier this year, Surrey County Council were criticised for selling the site for £25m when its gross value once developed would be in the region of £250m. In March, during a county council meeting, the topic of a sale was discussed. The question raised was whether this sale truly offered the ‘best value for residents.’ According to documents, potential costs included an estimated annual business rate liability of £700,000 for vacant properties, as well as security and other related expenses.
The sale price between RER London and the new owners remains undisclosed.
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County Hall – brief history
The two-acre site was bought in 1890 for £4,000 and architect Charles Henry Howell commissioned to design the new County Hall and courthouse. Construction took place between 1891 and 1893 by Higgs and Hill, who won the building contract with a tender of £41,964. The new County Hall was officially opened on 13 November 1893. The next day, following lunch as guests of the Mayor and Corporation of Kingston, Surrey County Council met for the first time in County Hall.
During the Second World War, the building was bombed three times. On 30 September 1940 a 250lb High Explosive (HE) bomb directly hit County Hall. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Less than two weeks’ later a direct hit destroyed the County Hall canteen killing three people. The third incident occurred on 6 July 1944 when a flying bomb caused severe blast damage to the building. There were three casualties. War damage to the building was repaired between 1945 and 1950, although shrapnel marks can still be seen in the stonework. The Ashcombe block, which was demolished by the 1944 bomb, was rebuilt in 1953.
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