Agenda item

Office Accommodation Strategy - Next Steps

Minutes:

The Assistant Director, Property Services provided an update report on the financial, logistical and planning implications of the sale of the Town Hall site and the progress made in relation to the procurement of alternative, town centre accommodation.  The Cabinet was being requested to consider whether any sale of the site should require the retention of the core of the old Town Hall building or whether the site should simply be disposed of and the building demolished entirely.  The Officer reported that an independent architectural advisor had been commissioned to report on the merits of the old Town Hall and had concluded that it had little architectural merit.  For this reason, and to ensure that the maximum income was achieved by the Council, the Officer recommendation was that the site should be disposed of without any requirement to retain the core of the old Town Hall.

 

The view of the Committee was that its previous comments should be reiterated, namely that the core of the old Town Hall should be retained if at all possible, whether in its entirely or at least the frontage.  It was felt that, notwithstanding any lack of architectural merit, the Town Hall was a landmark in the town and there were few others in the Borough. 

 

In addition, the Committee again expressed the strong view that the Town Hall site, along with the adjoining leisure sites in Montem Lane, should be viewed in an holistic manner and an overall master plan or vision formed for the future of the site, particularly as it was likely that the Montem Sports Centre would need to be replaced in the very near future.  The Committee expressed the view that it was inappropriate to deal with each of these areas in a piecemeal fashion as was now being proposed.

 

Resolved -   That the Cabinet be advised of the views of the Committee as follows:-

 

(a)  That the core of the old Town Hall building should be retained if at all possible, whether in its entirely or at least the frontage.

 

(b)  That the Town Hall, along with the adjoining leisure sites in Montem Lane, should be viewed in an holistic manner and an overall master plan or vision formed for the future of the overall site.