The former offices of the Surrey Advertiser have been sold, with planning permission for office development, for £2.85m.

Advertiser House, Guildford, was home to the newspaper for almost 65 years before it moved to Stoke Mill, Woking Road in 1999.

The press hall had already closed in 1992 and printing was carried out on the presses of the Daily Mirror in Watford, before being moved to the presses of the Reading Evening Post in 1993-4.

The former newspaper building is considered to be a town landmark with its familiar 1930s Art Deco frontage, a feature will be restored and retained in line with planning conditions, even after the building has been demolished.

Longwood Development of Ripley has bought the site and has planning consent for an office block with 3,840sq m of floor space alongside a separate and smaller office.

The smaller office will be built on ground in the former car park area once cottages that previously housed the newspaper’s photographic dark room have been demolished.

Longwood Development managing director John Walker said: “It is an interesting and super scheme.

“It is not a simple site, but I do feel it will be a good development.”

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