Council could look to sell former M&S building

A building previously used for a Marks & Spencer store and food hall before a council bought it as part of a £1.9m deal could be sold, the authority said.

The unit in Peach Street, Wokingham, was bought by Wokingham Borough Council in 2017 as it sought to regenerate the town centre.

But the council said the building is in a "poor condition" and its first floor cannot be used because of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in its roof.

Potential options for the building, which include selling the building on, letting it out to a tenant or the council potentially using itself, will be considered at a meeting next week.

The Forces Support charity has used the ground floor of the 1960s unit since it was bought by the council and pays no rent.

The council generates about £200,000 a year from the adjacent Rose Street car park, which it bought in the original deal in 2017.

Retaining that and its "ongoing successful operation and management" is an "important consideration" for the council, it said.

The unit site's size and location has "the potential to have a use which operates as a significant draw and footfall generator to Peach Street", the council added.

Council officers have listed seven possible options that will be discussed by the authority's community and corporate overview and scrutiny committee on Monday.

The site risks "further deterioration" without "significant" spending on maintenance, while the council using the building as it is has already been considered and "discounted as unsuitable", it said.