Historic Office Building Sale Another Sign of Council Belt Tightening

Published on: 21 Apr, 2026
Updated on: 21 Apr, 2026

Clarendon House, West Street, Dorking. (Credit: Google Street View)

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

A Grade II Listed historic office building in Dorking could soon be sold off as Surrey County Council looks to tighten its belt.

Clarendon House, a listed building on West Street, has been sitting empty after Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABP) moved out. Now, both the council and the NHS trust are teaming up to sell it together in a move they said should attract a better price.

The building, known as Clarendon House, has been used as offices for decades and even hosted a day centre on the ground floor. It comes with around 6,700 square feet of space and 36 parking spots.

Cllr Natalie Bramhall (cabinet member for property, waste and infrastructure) formally declared the building “surplus” and signed off the sale at a Surrey County Council meeting on April 21.

What is actually happening?

Surrey County Council owns the building outright, but SABP has been leasing it since the 1980s on a long-term deal. The lease still has about 81 years left but the rent is practically nothing.

Instead of waiting decades to see any real return, both sides have agreed to sell their interests together. That way, a buyer gets full ownership with vacant possession, and the council gets a lump sum now rather than pennies over time.

Why sell it?

For Surrey residents, this is another example of the council tightening its belt and trying to make better use of what it owns. Council bosses said the building is no longer needed for services, and selling it fits into a wider plan to offload unused properties.

With budgets under pressure and demand for services rising, bringing in money from asset sales is becoming increasingly important. The cash raised would go towards funding other projects and keeping services running.

There is also a longer-term hope that whoever buys the site will redevelop or regenerate it.
Any risks?

As with any property deal, there is a chance a buyer could pull out. If that happens, the site would simply go back on the market. There will also be standard costs involved, like legal and agent fees, expected to be around 1.5 per cent of the sale price.