South Holland District Council has earmarked £2.7million to create a community hub at its Spalding headquarters.
The figure is the maximum amount for the possible redevelopment of the Priory Road offices, starting as soon as this year.
The council released no information on the scheme before launching a public consultation on its 2017/18 budget last Friday (Jan 13), asking residents and businesses to comment. The £2.7m appears as “Priory Road” under the capital programme.
This week, in response to questioning by The Voice, it said: “A range of options are currently being considered, including the possibility of partners co-locating in the building and internal improvements being made.
“The project is at a very early stage and no firm decisions have been made. It will only go ahead if the rental income and reduction of running costs make the investment worthwhile.”
The most likely tenant is the Department for Work and Pensions. The Voice believes others could include the NHS and Ministry of Justice.
The project is part of a transformation programme at the council, with deputy leader Coun Malcolm Chandler insisting that it would be money prudently spent.
“£2.7million is a big sum of money,” he said. “We need to properly cost the options and establish who the partners are going to be.
“The main thrust is to use resources to their best development.
“The idea is to create a community hub our people can come for a one-stop shop but also using our space by offsetting capital costs with rental income.
“Soon there will be no government funding and we have got to be cost neutral. A term often used is ‘sweat the assets’ – making sure we get a fair return.”
The whole ground floor would be used as a customer service area, with the upper two floors remodelled and a new heating system installed.
The budget consultation runs until Sunday (Jan 22). See it at www.sholland.gov.uk.
- The council’s portion of the council tax bill is set to rise by an average of £5 in April.
