Heritage warning as councils hit by cuts sell buildings

And other publicly owned buildings which are not sold could end up being abandoned and boarded up to reduce running costs, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) said.

According to the organisation, historic buildings put up for auction by councils include Grade II listed Conisbrough Priory, near Doncaster, Rotherham swimming baths and the 19th-century Lluesty Hospital, North Wales.

Other public bodies are also selling heritage buildings, with the former St Giles Hospital being sold by NHS Southwark and the courts service putting up for sale two Georgian terraces in Greenwich, the society said.

Even central Government is trying to reduce its own estate, with sales totalling £115m in the past nine months.

While the Government is keen for local groups to take on “heritage assets” when they come on the market there are many places in which community groups which could take on large or awkward buildings do not exist.

SPAB secretary Philip Venning said: “The situation could well become something of a gamble for hundreds of historic buildings.

“While there may be some positive outcomes, SPAB is deeply concerned that great swathes of the nation’s built heritage will face an uncertain future.”