Cumbria County Council’s plan for a new headquarters in Carlisle has been approved by cabinet.
The £10.4m offices in Botchergate, designed and to be built by Eric Wright Construction, form an essential component in the council’s transformation, with public sector cuts meaning its workforce will be significantly reduced by 2018.
A green light for the downsizing deal enables the council to press ahead with its Better Places For Work project, which will see office accommodation in the city decrease from 22 buildings to two.
It currently faces a £13m maintenance backlog liability on existing accommodation, along with high running costs. Selling the majority of these offices and moving to a custom-built premises will save around £1m each year.
The state-of-the-art building will also help the council deliver new efficient ways of working in both management reductions and business support.
The new Botchergate headquarters will feature 450 workstations and accommodate around 700 staff, with hot desking, mobile working and modern technologies helping to further slash overheads and cut the council’s carbon output in half – from 1,546 tonnes to 826 tonnes.
It will also provide further regeneration to the southern gateway area into the city at Botchergate, with construction creating a number of jobs thanks to the council including clauses in its contract for local supply chain providers to benefit. There is also a commitment for young learners to be involved in the project through its Apprenticeship scheme.
Council Leader Stewart Young said: “The council has to make the best out of the financial situation it is in. Our downsizing deal is a crucial part of making the organisation ready to face the future. We need modern, flexible accommodation with lower overheads.
“The only way to do this is to sell off our older properties and we are already working in innovative ways with developers to manage this. It’s like making that move from a big old family home into a smaller, modern house that you know will be cheaper to run and look after.
“On the plus side, this scheme will help to secure the economic future of Botchergate. Our new office will act as a magnet to encourage other businesses and regenerate the southern gateway into Carlisle, which has been rundown for quite some significant time.”
John Wilson, Managing Director of Eric Wright Construction, added: “As a business, and working in partnership with our Design Team of AHR Architects, Hannan Associates and Curtins Consulting, we’ve extensive experience in creating high-profile, bespoke office accommodation for clients across the UK and we believe we are the right team to deliver such a project that will help Cumbria County Council achieve its commitments to ongoing overhead reductions and cost savings.”
It is anticipated that staff will relocate to the new building, on the site of the current William Street car park, from offices including The Courts in English Street by Spring 2016.