Councillors want the Communications House sale in Staines put off until the masterplan is agreed. Officers, the commissioners and West Surrey say sell now.

Spelthorne councillors have refused to back the sale of Communications House, the council-owned office block on South Street in Staines, for now.

The Corporate Policy and Resources Committee met on Monday 12 October. It voted to recommend that full Council “defer any decision on the disposal of Communications House until the Staines Masterplan has been agreed”. That wording is in the committee’s printed decisions.

Officers had asked the committee to recommend the sale. Full Council takes the final decision on Thursday 22 October, and officers are still telling it to sell.

What happened on Monday

The officers’ new report to full Council says that after a debate, committee members “felt that the proposed disposal should be postponed until Staines Master Plan is in place”.

The printed decisions do not record a vote count or the reasons given in the debate.

We reported the plan to sell on 8 October: Communications House: council to sell, vote 22 Oct. In short, the building was bought in July 2018 and has lost value since. It is about 81% let, to two tenants whose leases end or can be broken in January 2029. Two developers who convert offices to homes were invited to bid. The price and the buyer’s name are confidential.

Three options for full Council

The report sets out three choices:

Option What it means Officers’ view
1. Agree the offer and sell Sale goes ahead on the terms in the confidential papers Recommended
2. Turn the offer down and market the building openly Start again Not recommended: “no evidence” it would get a higher price
3. Follow the committee and defer No decision until the Staines Masterplan is agreed Not recommended

Officers say deferring “does not align” with the government’s Best Value Directions of May 2025. Those directions require the council to cut its debt, and selling buildings is how it is doing that.

Who wants it sold now

The report carries backing for an immediate sale from four quarters:

  • The government-appointed commissioners “strongly support” the sale. They say it helps deliver the 2026/27 budget and reduces “the risk of a need to make further savings during the current financial year”.
  • The council’s finance chief (the Section 151 officer) says the offer is “at the top end of the anticipated offer range” and “strongly supports” it.
  • Knight Frank, the council’s agents, recommend the buyer. An independent valuation by Allsop backs the price.
  • West Surrey Council, which replaces Spelthorne on 1 April 2027, says in a statement in the report that “any delays in disposals will add to the financial challenges faced by West Surrey”.

The report also says the building is expected to lose money for the next six years if it is kept. Not selling this financial year would mean the reserves Spelthorne hands to West Surrey “will be used up more rapidly”, it says.

Why the masterplan matters here

The Staines Masterplan sets out how about 3,282 new homes would be spread across the town centre. Its public consultation closed on 24 August. We have not found a published date for agreeing the final version.

Officers argue the two are not in conflict. Their report says a conversion to flats “fits with the emerging Staines Masterplan proposals and will deliver much needed housing to the town centre”. Once the building is sold, though, the council has no further say over it beyond the planning system.

What it means for you

Nothing changes on South Street yet. The two office tenants stay whatever happens on 22 October.

If Council follows the committee, the sale waits until the masterplan is agreed. The buyer’s offer is not guaranteed to still be there by then.

If Council follows officers, the sale goes to contracts. The report warns a buyer can still cut the price or pull out before contracts are exchanged. Any conversion to flats would then come through the planning system, and we track town centre schemes on our Staines planning news page.

If you want to watch the vote, the 22 October agenda lists Communications House as item 11. The meeting is at the council offices at Knowle Green and starts once an extraordinary meeting called for 7pm has finished. The same agenda carries the sale of 12 Hammersmith Grove, an office the council owns in west London, which the committee did recommend.

We will report the outcome.