THE Lloyds TSB national training centre at Hindhead is to close.
Formerly an hotel, the Tilford Road training centre, known as The Beacon, has almost 53,000 sq ft of office space. It is set in landscaped grounds of more than 15 acres, and is expected to attract bids of many millions of pounds before the closing date at the end of the month.
Although a spokesman for Lloyds TSB said it would not be making any staff redundancies, 30 jobs at the centre's contract catering and cleaning company, Eurest, could be under threat.
A spokesman said that the property, owned by the bank for more than 50 years, "has been an excellent training centre but as the business changes, so do its needs".
Alex Rutter, a senior development surveyor for the London-based agents responsible for the sale, Drivers Jonas , said that interest had already been expressed for a range of different uses.
But the agents would not reveal the price tag on the building in a prime location close to the A3.
The news of the sale is likely to send shock waves through the local community as discussions on the Hindhead tunnel continue and the housing development at the former Happy Eater site next to the A3 and Tilford Road nears completion.
Fears that the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity's property adjacent to the training centre may also be put on the market in response to the sale, have been raised by a local resident who wished to remain anonymous.
Alex Rutter told The Herald: "Subject to the new owner getting planning permission, the site could continue to be used as an education centre or could be used as an institution, hotel, or for residential purposes. Developers could also combine a mixture of these uses, for example, a sensitive conversion of the building into an hotel with housing in its grounds."
Lloyds Bank bought the centre in 1948 and decided to use the building to hold residential training courses. It maintained the spectacular grounds, which feature tennis courts, a small football pitch, and a golf course, and 60 parking spaces.
Under current government planning guidelines, local authorities must agree a minimum of 30 houses per hectare. This would mean that, should the 6.2 hectares site be sold to a housing developer, many new homes could be built in the grounds.
But a spokesman for Waverley Borough Council told The Herald that as far as she was aware, no potential buyers had been in contact with officers to discuss proposed developments.
As The Herald went to press, an Eurest spokesman said that the company has a number of job opportunities at other "client contracts" within the region and some staff from the Hindhead centre have already transferred to new positions.
"Eurest is also working with local employment services and other organisations to help staff affected by the closure," the spokesman added.