New Forest District Council considers renting out parts of Appletree Court headquarters in Lyndhurst

NEARLY 10,000sqft of empty office space at New Forest District Council’s Lyndhurst HQ could be rented out – the result of hybrid working introduced post-pandemic.

There has been “a shift in working behaviours and patterns” at Appletree Court since the 2019 Covid outbreak, with many teams either working from home or an alternative NFDC location for up to half of their week.

As a result, the council is considering moves to offer up its south wing, comprising nearly 10,000sqft of modern office space across three floors.

A report to cabinet members stated this would generate an income of £300,00 a year.

Officers have also recommended allocating up to £1.75m for improvements to the east wing, which could provide more than 180 desk spaces for council staff.

It was decided against moving the council’s base elsewhere, and instead modernise parts of Appletree Court, securing its future as NFDC’s HQ “for the medium to long term”.

The cabinet report stated: “Appletree Court, in the centre of Lyndhurst, is a large and attractive premises from which many of NFDC’s core services are delivered. This includes the council chamber, where most planning and council meetings are held, and the information office, which is the busiest within the district for residents and customers.

“Post-pandemic, consideration was given to the future use of Appletree Court, and whether it still meets the needs of the business. There has been a search for alternative premises in the district over several years, but no suitable alternative property or location has been identified.

“A development appraisal received from leading property consultants in January 2023 showed the sale or redevelopment of Appletree Court for alternative use was unlikely to yield a capital sum sufficient to fund a relocation to alternative premises or the construction of new headquarters premises elsewhere in the district.”

The report added that if the council can offer “an attractive, modern, and vibrant workplace”, then staff retention and “wider organisational engagement” should increase.

Cabinet members were also asked to approve an allocation of £2.7m for an “invest to save basis”, delivering technological and organisational changes to the council’s customer and digital services.

Leader of the council, Cllr Jill Cleary, said the business case showed the council’s commitment to putting customers “at the heart of what we do” by making it “as easy as possible” for residents to interact with them in “a modern, efficient and effective way that suits their needs”.

She added: “Our transformation ambitions are further supported by the case to make better use of our accommodation here at Appletree Court.”

Members agreed unanimously with the proposals, which will now be debated by the full council.