A THURROCK Council fire sale of properties could see it net close to £1.5 million if all the deals struck by auction are fulfilled.

The cash-strapped council took a number of properties to market via the BidX1 online auction today (Thursday, 25 January) and in total the sales netted £1,580,000, though some of the deals remain subject to contract.

Among the 'big wins' for the council was the sale of the former housing office on Springhouse Road in Corringham.

It went in the auction catalogue with a guide price of £85,000 and bidders saw the sale price soar to £309,000!

The BT Telephone exchange building in South Ockendon.

The BT telephone exchange building on Darenth Lane, South Ockendon, brought in a winning bid of £270,500 even though the building is leased at a pepercorn rent for the next 27 years. Currently the council gets £150 a year for the building, but its potential commercial value, subject to planning permission evidently proved attractive to buyers.

The post delivery sorting office on Derry Avenue

Another low-rent yielding building in South Ockendon, which nets the council just £235 a year, was the post delivery sorting office on Derry Avenue that brought in a bid for £261,000 even though the Post Office have 19 years left on their lease.

Depot brought in winning bid of £369,000

The council's former Meals on Wheels depot at Corran Way, South Ockendon, sold for £369,000. It has been described by the council as having 'development potential'.

A parcel of land north of Tank Lane.

A parcel of land north of Tank Lane in Purfleet, again described as having development potential (subject to consents), went up to £371,000.

Several of the sites had previously been suggested as suitable for social housing development to fulfil the huge demand for local low cost homes but the council appears to have all but scrapped its housebuilding programme - with just a current scheme for 20 new homes on the horizon. And that is subject to a request to the government to borrow money to fund it, as the cost cannot be entirely met from the Housing Revenue Account fund, including 'right to buy' receipts.

The council is likely to have to pay legal and auction fees - and possibly also corporation tax - out of the bid money that was pledged today.