by John Prince
Even though the monitoring post at Tunstall isn’t up for sale – and it’s unlikely it ever will be – there is a chance of owning your piece of Cold War history just up the road.
That’s because a nuclear bunker is on sale in Skirlaugh, but it comes with a few additional extras, and if you want it you’ll have to be quick.
It’s on the site of the former Holderness Borough Council offices and library depot on Main Road, which has been on the market for about two years.
Underneath the old council chamber tucked behind the main Grade II listed building lies the nuclear bunker that was built in 1989.
It’s underground as you would expect, with ventilation stacks and an emergency escape shaft still visible at ground level.
The Holderness District Council Emergency Centre, as it was known, was intended primarily to protect local officials and coordinate emergency response. It was later repurposed as a reserve archive store.
It formed part of the UK’s civil defence planning.
Even though it was built very late, just before the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended, councils were still required to maintain protected emergency centres capable of operating after a nuclear strike.
The whole site includes a large office building at the back, a storage container and a detached office. It even has its own flagpole.
There is a large secure yard which can be used for parking, with plenty of room for more than 100 vehicles.
The council has put it all up for sale by informal tender and is inviting expressions of interest for the purchase of the land and the property before noon on Wednesday, March 4.
Describing the site, East Riding Council said: “The property is surplus to the requirements of the council and provides considerable scope for continued commercial use or redevelopment. The property forms part of a residential land allocation in the local plan.
“The property provides interlinked office and industrial accommodation of various styles and ages. The original building on the site was built in the 1830s and part of it has listed status with an imposing front facade.
“During the 1970s the building was converted and major extensions built to create council offices, at the time for Holderness Borough Council.
“In the 1980s a nuclear bunker was created in the basement of the building. The site passed to East Riding Council in 1996 following local government re-organisation.
“The property has been in use by local government for over 50 years, shaping the local area for many years. Now, it’s time for the next chapter.”
It’s hoped the site will have a change of use and see shops, offices, cafes, restaurants, GPs, light industrial units, crèches and gyms opening.
Business rates have been listed at £99,500, and a large investment will be needed as improvement work will be required for much of the site.
For more information go to eastriding.gov.uk/propertysearch.
To contact the council about the sale, you can email the principal commercial surveyor on [email protected] or phone 01482 393971.