A DEAL has been struck to sell West Lothian Council's former headquarters to the owners of The Centre for £3 million, which could mean a Primark store in Livingston.
The sale of West Lothian House, which is next to The Centre, to Land Securities was agreed by coun
cillors at an executive meeting on Tuesday.
An agreement was previously reached in 2008 to sell the empty building in Almondvale Boulevard for more than £4m, but this fell through due to the downturn in the economy and its severe impact on the retail sector.
The deal for the 1.038 hectare site will see the council receive £200,000 in five annual instalments with a £2m lump sum after five years, and is subject to a number of conditions, including the buyer bringing in Primark as its tenant.
Council leader Peter Johnston believes the deal is a good one and will bring new jobs to the area, despite the lower selling price.
He said: "We are pleased to move forward in selling our former home for £3m.
"West Lothian House has been sitting empty since the migration to the Civic Centre was completed late last year, and it's important this central site is returned to productive use as soon as possible.
"This deal represents good value for the council and West Lothian, and we believe it is in the best interest of all parties.
"Although the price is reduced from the figure agreed in 2008, we have to accept that the economic factors have changed significantly in the last few years, due to the impact of the credit crunch, and we do not know if or when prices will get back to their 2008 level."
Katherine Armstead, portfolio manager at Land Securities, said: "We welcome the news that West Lothian Council has approved the terms of the sale of West Lothian House and look forward to announcing more details in the coming months."
Land Securities now plans to carry out consultation over its plans for the site, which includes an exhibition giving the public the opportunity to comment on their proposals.
