West Suffolk Council paid £1.74m for the old Discount Warehouse Superstore in 2018. On 3 November Cabinet is asked to sell it to West Suffolk College, at a loss.
West Suffolk Council wants to sell the former Discount Warehouse Superstore on Anglian Lane, Bury St Edmunds, to West Suffolk College. Its own report says the council will lose money on the deal.
The old St Edmundsbury Borough Council bought the freehold in 2018 for £1,740,000, including costs. The report to Cabinet admits a “capital loss” between that price and today’s market value. It rates the risk of selling for less than the 2018 price as “high” (Cabinet report CAB/WS/26/052).
The sale price itself is in an exempt appendix, so it is not public. So is the independent valuation.
Cabinet meets at 6pm on Tuesday 3 November and is recommended to agree the freehold sale to Eastern Education Group, which runs the college (agenda).
What the college wants it for
The site is next door to the college’s Built Environment Campus. The college told the council it wants a single construction skills hub, with a focus on mechanical, electrical, heating and ventilation courses.
The college gave the council these figures for the site:
- up to 150 students and 12 full-time teaching staff on site each day
- 250 to 300 students trained there each academic year
- 20 to 25 staff in total, including technical and employer engagement roles
The sale depends on the college getting planning permission for education use. The report rates that as a “medium” risk. It gives the same rating to the college not receiving capital funding from the Department for Education.
“We can confirm that we have expressed an interest in purchasing the Anglian Lane site,” a spokesperson for Eastern Education Group said in the council’s announcement. “We will share more about our plans in due course.”
Why the council bought it
The 2018 purchase was tied to the then proposed Western Way scheme, including car parking for it. The report says Western Way was cancelled in 2022.
Since then, the report sets out:
- the Theatre Royal has rented the warehouse for costumes and props at £6,000 a year
- election, emergency planning and parks teams have used the rest
- in February 2024 councillors approved up to £1,171,000 to refurbish the building, but only if a tenant signed up first
- marketing from October 2023 drew no firm offers, and the building came off the market in October 2025
Keeping it costs the council £70,000 to £80,000 a year, the report says. The building “has not received any significant investment in many years”.
The options the council turned down
| Option | Estimated cost to the council |
|---|---|
| Keep it as it is | £70,000 to £80,000 a year, plus rising repairs |
| Refurbish and find a tenant | About £1,750,000 plus VAT, plus holding costs while empty |
| Let it in its current state | About £500,000 plus VAT for a light refurbishment |
| Knock down and build small industrial units | £2,500,000 to £3,000,000, before demolition and a new access road |
| Knock down and build housing | £5,500,000 to £6,000,000 or more; the site is allocated for employment, not homes |
Officers say none of the alternatives is likely to be viable. Selling would save about £70,000 a year in holding costs. The money from the sale would also cut the council’s borrowing costs.
“This presents a great opportunity to support West Suffolk College in expanding its teaching provision on a single site,” said Councillor Diane Hind, Cabinet Member for Resources.
What it means for you
This is council property, bought with public money, and the size of the loss is not yet public. The sale price sits in exempt Appendix 1 and the valuation in exempt Appendix 2. The agenda says those appendices will be discussed in private, and that no member of the public has objected to that.
The council says the decision will usually be published within 48 hours of the meeting. It cannot be acted on until five clear working days after that.
If you live in Tollgate ward, the ward the report names, your district councillors are listed on the council’s website. A planning application for the college’s use would come later, with its own consultation. You can follow it on our planning page.
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