A prominent Council building has been sold at auction for £920,000 - nearly double its original guide price.
Ashtree House was a key site for Derby City Council’s Children’s Services for many years, serving as a dedicated hub for supervised family visits.
A fire at the neighbouring La Gondola site made the building unsafe for continued use and Ashtree House had been vacant since August 2024.
Faced with high maintenance costs and a challenging layout for modern service delivery, the property was formally declared surplus to requirements in December 2024.
The decision to sell the historic property followed a rigorous financial assessment which determined that a sale would be the most effective way to preserve the building’s future while delivering value for the city.
Councillor Kathy Kozlowski, Cabinet Member for Governance and Finance at Derby City Council, said:
The decision to sell Ashtree House is part of our ongoing commitment to responsible asset management and achieving 'best value' for the people of Derby.
Ashtree House has a long and proud history of service, but as our requirements for modern office and service space evolve, it is essential that we make the best use of our buildings and land.
The capital receipt provides a significant boost to our finances, allowing us to protect and reinvest in the essential services that our residents rely on most. It also paves the way for a private developer to breathe new life into a building that has stood empty, in a way that the Council simply could not afford to do.
The property has been acquired by Godfrey Care, a specialist care provider that manages several residential homes across the region.
Andy Barnes, Co-CEO at Godfrey Care, said:
Godfrey Care are delighted to invest in this property as part of our ongoing development of specialist residential care services for people with complex, high-acuity needs in Derby City. Ashtree House will be transformed through a bespoke design and specification tailored to the individual needs of each person we support.
Godfrey Care are an established and trusted partner to local authorities in the region. The planning, design and construction of our services are based on genuine co-production with local authorities, commissioners, healthcare professionals, families and the people we support. We are excited to bring this collaborative approach to the redevelopment of Ashtree House.
The site includes a substantial Queen Anne Revival house designed in 1896 by acclaimed local architect Percy Heylin Currey as a vicarage for St. Luke’s Church. The land was donated by Sir Henry Bemrose, a prominent Derby philanthropist and Member of Parliament.
Throughout the 20th century, the building adapted to various purposes, including as a Diocesan Training College nursery in the 1930s before its long-standing use as a centre for the Council’s family support services.