A mental health charity is to lose its Greenwich base after 45 years because of council cutbacks.

Greenwich Council is to sell two terraced houses in Ormiston Road, east Greenwich, that have been home to the local branch of Mind since 1979.

The planned sale is part of the cash-strapped council’s plans to close a £33 million budget gap, with another £27 million expected next year.

South East London Mind said that it was in negotiations about moving into new premises and that it would be at Ormiston Road until at least the spring.

The building, which is less than a minute’s walk from Westcombe Park station, is in a “high value area”, the council said, adding that it was being let at a concessionary rate. 

The two houses were originally the base of Greenwich Mind, which merged with its neighbours in Bromley and Lewisham in 2017 after suffering financial problems which involved it being given a grant of £200,000 by the council.

Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind joined its counterpart in Lambeth and Southwark to form South East London Mind at the start of this year. 

While the sale was announced by the council in a press release put out on October 9 – the day before World Mental Health Day – the decision to sell was actually made in a property strategy approved by councillors in February 2019.

South East London Mind told The Greenwich Wire that it had been in talks with the council about either refurbishing Ormiston Road or selling it since 2018.

It said: “As a charity established in 1954, we are used to evolving and turning new chapters to meet the needs of our communities over the years. 

“Our physical home in Greenwich may be moving but our team is not going anywhere – nor is our mission to provide the high quality mental health and dementia support that we are well known for.

“We appreciate that Ormiston Road is a place where many people have been able to access the support they need in a welcoming space, and we are committed to ensuring our new premises also provide an accessible, supportive environment for people seeking mental health support.”

It said it already had staff working elsewhere in the borough, including in Oxleas NHS Trust premises and children’s centres. 

A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: “The council took the decision on Ormiston Road in February 2019 and we are working with South East London Mind, who currently occupy the building, to support their relocation.”

Other properties being put on the market include three car parks in Blackheath, Charlton and Plumstead, old public toilets in Greenwich and Abbey Wood, tram shelters in Eltham, the mortuary at Miller House in west Greenwich, and a 125-year lease to the Plumstead power station after the council pulled out of a deal with the special effects company Mo-Sys.

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