THE offices of a 100-year-old Colchester-based charity have gone on the market for more than £1.6million.

Part of the Octagon complex, on Middleborough, and home to the charity Lepra, has been listed on Rightmove for £1,675,000 freehold.

The three-storey property has an open plan layout and an internal space of 8,478sq ft.

Area - the office in MiddleboroughArea - the office in Middleborough (Image: Google Maps) The office has 25 parking spaces in the adjoining multi-storey car park, a platform lift to the office’s first floor, and is within walking distance of Colchester North Station and the city centre.

Lepra was founded in 1924 and works to diagnose, treat and rehabilitate people who have leprosy, an infection that can lead to damage to nerves, skin and eyes.

The charity has been based in Colchester since 1974.

During its foundation, the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VIII became patron.

He was followed by King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II in 1952, and it was announced that King Charles III will continue it this year.

Queen Elizabeth II visiting Nigeria in 1955 for LepraQueen Elizabeth II visiting Nigeria in 1955 for Lepra (Image: Lepra) Lepra spokesman Chris Laing said the charity is looking to downsize its office space because more people are working from home following the pandemic.

The charity's headquarters will remain based in the city.

Mr Laing said: “As we often work closely with overseas colleagues, partners and projects, in India and Bangladesh, we have always been well suited for hybrid working, as many of our meetings and interactions have to be over phone, Teams or Zoom.

“We will remain headquartered in Colchester, but we are currently looking for a more suitable location in the city.

“Many of our key staff will still be located in Colchester, but our hybrid working model has allowed us to access a far greater pool of highly specialist staff from all over the country and beyond.

“As we are moving to a new and innovative strategy to help meet the World Health Organisation 2030 leprosy targets, having access to a wider net of talent has helped us to grow and transform the organisation, making our work more sustainable for the vulnerable communities we support.”