Cllr Keane Duncan calls for maintenance of Malton services

Ryedale House, in Malton, could be sold for housing as part of plans put forward by North Yorkshire Council (NYC).

However, Cllr Keane Duncan, who represents Norton, has raised concerns over the proposals and called for services for local people to be kept.

Ryedale House, which is said to be in a 'poor' condition, is being earmarked for disposal by NYC as part of plans to move council staff to a new site by the A64.

The proposals would see the possible creation of a customer hub in Malton town centre and the increased use of Stanley Harrison house near the railway station.

​North Yorkshire Council's executive committee, yesterday (Tuesday) approved the purchase of Resolution House, near Seamer, from Anglo American, which was marketing the property with a guide price of £4.5 million.

The move would also see the sale of Scarborough Town Hall.

The report to the committee also recommends the investment of up to £750k to support the establishment of a new front-facing customer service points in Malton and Scarborough - which would lose its town hall - and to fund costs associated with the advancement of redevelopment proposals for vacated sites.

Cllr Duncan spoke at the Executive meeting to raise questions about plans to purchase Resolution House.

The councillor stressed the importance of protecting access to local services in Malton, and raised concerns about the business case behind the multi-million pound purchase of the new site.

He said: "“It’s important that local people can access essential council, police and job centre services.

“A hub for services must remain in Malton with locally-based staff on hand to provide assistance. Before there are any changes, there must be proper consultation with the public and staff.”

Ryedale House, the home of the former Ryedale District Council, covers a total area of 3,252 m2 and currently provides back-office meeting and office space, along with the council’s main customer service centre for the Malton area.

The customer service centre also provides a single front-door access point for customers to reach the DWP and Community Police and handles around 100 face-to-face enquiries each week.

The report to councillors says: "The condition of Ryedale House is assessed as poor, and the net running costs – excluding allowances for backlog maintenance - equate to £290k per annum.

"An assessment of backlog maintenance has not recently been undertaken due to long-term aspirations to

repurpose the site, however refurbishment costs would run into several millions of pounds.

"Ryedale House currently accommodates 168 desks for North Yorkshire Council officer use, as well as leased space to the DWP and North Yorkshire Police. Desk utilisation is low, with an average occupation of 35%."

The report added: "The Ryedale House site has previously been promoted via the Ryedale Local Plan Strategy and is currently allocated for residential development within the existing Local Plan, with an indicative capacity for 60 dwellings. The former Ashfield Elderly Person’s Home site, which adjoins the Ryedale House site and is also in the Council’s ownership, has been submitted as a ‘call for sites’ development opportunity for consideration in the new NYC Local Plan and could offer further development potential. "

The report recommends relocating existing back-office provision to Resolution House and Stanley Harrison House, which is also being considered as the potential location for a customer hub, along with Malton library.

Stanley Harrison House is in NYC’s freehold ownership and was originally acquired by Ryedale District Council as a potential alternative headquarters, to enable the redevelopment of Ryedale House.

The report says: "The accommodation covers a total area of 709 m2 and provides vacant meeting and office space to the ground and first floor of a relatively recent extension, with space in the original building leased out to voluntary and community sector organisations.

"The condition of Stanley Harrison House is assessed as satisfactory and the current net running costs in its largely vacant state equate to £7k per annum."

Ryedale House in Malton was opened in 1974 when the Ryedale District Council was established. It was formally opened by the late Princess Margaret.

Its future will be debated at a meeting of ​NYC's executive committee next Tuesday.