Sutton residents have expressed anger as the council relocates its central registry office from a beloved local building to the ‘soulless’ civic centre.

A decision made in July will see the locally listed building, which has been in the council’s hands since 1965, sold off as part of a savings program.

Russettings on Worcester Road in Sutton has had a registry office on site since 1953 and has acted as Sutton’s central hub for births, deaths and marriage ceremonies for decades.

Sutton Councillor Neil Garratt referred to the building as being ‘a short walk from the station for a bride on her special day’ during a Strategy and Resources meeting in July.

However, during that same meeting, Sutton’s Lib-Dem-led council decided to dispose of the building for eventual sale.

The council assured councillors its decision to dispose of the building, which has been in their possession since the borough’s creation, was due to financial reasons.

Sutton’s Strategic Director of Resource Richard Simpson told councillors that the decision formed part of a decades-long savings plan for the council.

He added: “It will deliver the council revenue savings and avoid further capital investment and generating a capital receipt, whilst still ensuring the council delivers services it’s responsible for in an effective way.”

Councillors also heard how greater competition with other wedding venues has decreased the pressure on needing to provide services in the building.

It was also revealed that fewer large weddings were being held there in recent years.

Maintenance and restoration of the locally listed building was also another key factor driving the council’s decision. By disposing of it, it hopes to save spending on further maintenance costs.

During the July meeting, Cllr Garratt cited a previous incident where the council planned to pour money into the building as a way of boosting revenue but ultimately failed to do so.

He said: “I remember discussing the plan to put a big function room in there and how it would make us a fortune.”

According to Cllr Garratt, the project would have seen the council spend nearly £500,000 on rebuilding the room in 2015. ]

"Whilst it was hoped that this would bring in over £100,000 a year, the recent decision to dispose essentially ‘draws a line under that project’.

Following the disposal, Sutton will now move its central registry office service to the current Civic Centre site on St Nicholas Way in mid-November.

MyLondon understands that Russettings now sits empty and is awaiting sale.

However, whilst the decision to dispose in July passed easily, a number of councillors and residents have expressed dismay at the decision.

Councillor Tim Foster said: “There will be no argument about the financial aspects of this proposal, but an awful lot of people there whether some of them regret it or not. I believe we need a broader church than this committee because of that emotional tie.”

Cllr Foster also questioned the decision to move registry services to the civic centre and highlighted that, under the council’s own town centre regeneration plans, the civic centre will soon be moving into the new site within the St Nicholas shopping centre.

He said: “The civic centre is a pretty soulless building….. Are we talking about a chapel of love in the St Nicholas Centre too?.”

This sentiment was shared by many online and has even led to the creation of an e-petition questioning the council’s decision and their previous investment into the maintenance of the building.

Many took to Facebook to share their experiences of using the building for births, deaths and marriages over the years.

One Facebook user named Suzy Stone said: “I was married there twice and all my children were registered there.

"Sad, I’m sure it’s not because it’s not used enough. Who wants to get married in the library?” Another named Jaqueline Carol-Guest Appleby said: “Such a lovely peaceful spot in the middle the chaotic town that Sutton has become.”

Russettings was built in 1899 and features gabled roofs, tall brick chimneys, upper wall tiling, bay windows, a green copper dome and a porch with a turquoise mosaic floor.

Wedding guests could also find a grand oak staircase, inglenook and tiled fireplaces, wood panelling and leaded light windows inside the building.

According to the heritage plaque that adorns the outer wall, the building was once owned by Thomas Wall, the ice cream and sausage manufacturer.

According to the Sutton Local Listing document, it was used by an engineering design firm during World War Two before being bought by Surrey County Council bought the house in 1948 for £6,000.

It added: “When the London Borough of Sutton was formed in 1965 the building became the Register Office for the district. It was refurbished in 1994 to provide two marriage rooms.”

Information on a date of sale will follow.