Nottinghamshire Council confirms it wants to move to new offices near Hucknall

The Conservative-led authority says moving to Top Wighay will bring long-term savings for the taxpayer and environment.

However, opposition councillors, notably Hucknall members of the Ashfield Independents, have criticised the project, which is now estimated to cost £18.3 million, due rising costs in the construction industry and additional design, saying the money would be better spent improving the county’s roads.

The proposal to move to Top Wighay comes off the back of a review which has found it is no longer practical to keep the current County Hall building, which opened in 1946, as the council’s main base in the long-term, as it will be too expensive to maintain and improve to meet the council’s environmental ambitions.

Figures released by the council reveal County Hall costs more than £1.7m to operate and maintain each year and the building requires essential maintenance costing more than £30m over the next 12 years, with up to a further £28m needed to bring the building up to modern environmental standards.

The new Top Wighay project already has full planning permission and if the propsal is approved at this Thursday’s full council meeting, construction will start later this year and be completed by the winter of 2024-25.

The council building is part of a huge £20 million project at Top Wighay that will include hundreds of new homes and other community facilities, including a new primary school.

Coun Ben Bradley, Mansfield MP and council leader, said: “County Hall is an old building which is too expensive to operate and maintain and would cost tens of millions of taxpayers’ money to make it viable for the future.

We want to spend that money on public services, not on running office buildings.

“We are looking to the future and this move will help ensure that we have sustainable finances, and also mean that the decision-making function of this council is based in the very heart of our county.

“That will also help bring jobs, skills and investment into the Hucknall area.

“It’s still too early to comment on the future of County Hall, but we will be speaking to our staff and partners about all the options for the future.

“Being an iconic Nottinghamshire landmark with a riverside location along the Trent, makes it a very attractive site.

“But whatever happens, its heritage will be respected.”

Coun Keith Girling, cabinet member for economic development and asset management, said: “County Hall is often only about a third full, so it is not being used to its full potential.

“We already had plans for new, low-carbon buildings near Hucknall for front-line services, so it makes sense to update the designs to also accommodate a wider civic function ahead of these offices being built.

“We will continue to have a major base in West Bridgford, however, as we have no plans to move out of Trent Bridge House.”

Despite the cost of the project rising from an initial £15.7m to more than £18m, Coun Girling insisted it was still good value.

He said: "We will save significant sums on running costs in the new building compared with County Hall, and, of course, by looking at future options for County Hall, we’ll save more than £50m in maintenance and refurbishment costs.”

The council says the new building will be all-electric and built to standards which will rank it within the top 10 per cent of new UK, (non-domestic buildings in terms of environmental sustainability.

Thanks to a low-carbon design, high insulation levels and heat absorbing features, heating bills will be kept as low as possible.

This design will also help keep the building cool in the warmer months, so no air-conditioning will be installed.

Rooftop solar panels will also help generate electricity.

These plans are part of a wider buildings’ programme which aims to save taxpayers’ money by creating more carbon-neutral council buildings, generating income by leasing older buildings with higher running-costs and co-locating with other public organisations.