Offers to buy Sessions House, the headquarters of the county’s largest local authority, are being considered.

The 150-year-old landmark home of Kent County Council, in the centre of Maidstone, went on the market last September.

London property consultancy Montagu Evans is handling the sale, although there was no public price tag for the property, better known as County Hall.

The deadline for bids passed at the end of December and KCC says it has now entered a period of due diligence.

Much of the estate is currently not used and has suffered a lack of maintenance in recent years, requiring massive investment to restore or refurbish the building.

One major downside to any potential buyer is that the rear half of the building overlooks HM Prison Maidstone.

It is on the market to be sold off as a whole or in five separate sections.

A KCC statement said: “Following a key decision by the cabinet member in August 2023, a marketing campaign for the proposed disposal of the whole of Sessions House took place and closed on December 8.

“We were encouraged by the number of bids that we received, and are now in the process of considering the response and undertaking further due diligence.”

KCC still uses a central section of the building for offices, members’ rooms and the main council chamber.

Montagu Evans released a glossy 12 page brochure last year, detailing the site’s assets and potential.

The brochure stated: "Rare opportunity to acquire the whole or part of a listed building in the heart of Maidstone.

"The whole building is surplus to requirements and we are inviting interest from parties (either for part or all of the building) on an all inquiries basis. Unconditional and subject to planning offers considered for a long leasehold interest."

In recent years, KCC has never made a secret of its plans for "disposal" of the 227,000 sq ft building, designed by Sir Robert Smirke in the Greek Revival style, and the need to move to premises fit for the 21st century.

Sessions House is subject to a restrictive covenant in favour of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) because of its proximity to the prison, which houses overseas criminals.

Liberal Democrat group leader at KCC, Cllr Antony Hook said: “The MoJ covenant may prove a problem and there is said to be a surplus of office space in Maidstone, so housing may well be the best option going forward.”

A KCC document stated: "Historic under-investment in the estate over many years has created a significant maintenance backlog.

"As a result of this backlog and the limited suitability of buildings, many services are delivered from buildings that offer a poor user experience.

"In some cases, staff and service users have had to work in restricted and challenging environments due to condition problems which have resulted in the need to temporarily close areas of buildings or a whole building due to health and safety concerns."

At the time the sale was announced, Conservative councillor Simon Webb said: "We haven't got any option but to sell it - the repair bill for Sessions House would be enormous.

"We haven't the money to fix the building and it is just going to fall into further disrepair. We need to sell it to someone who can look after it. It's common sense."