Doncaster Council’s new £20m Civic Offices have opened with staff teams moving in between now and the end of January. The move consolidates numerous council offices into one modern, low energy building. It includes a new ‘one-stop-shop’ customer service centre where residents can complete their council business in one visit to one location.
Designed by Cartwright Pickard, the highly sustainable building is hoped to achieve the internationally recognised BREEAM Excellent rating and will mean that the council will eventually be able to realise annual savings of approximately £650,000 from not operating out of multiple inefficient and costly to maintain buildings.
The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Cynthia Ransome, said, “This is a major milestone for the project and our council employees. Over the next two months over 1500 more staff will transfer into the new building which forms a central part of the wider Civic and Cultural Quarter regeneration scheme.”
Paul Gordon, Doncaster Council
ICT Specialist Paul Gordon was one of the first to move in. As part of the team responsible for IT at the council he has been working towards the move for over a year, updating software and installing new systems.
Paul said, “The great thing about the new offices is the ability for us to work more flexibly, using shared workstations that make the most of the building. I also like the fact that the offices are open plan. It encourages everyone to work more closely with other council teams around them.”
Covering 25% of the town centre in the Waterdale area, the first phase of the Civic and Cultural Quarter also includes the new performance venue Cast, Sir Nigel Gresley Square, upgraded road networks which help reconnect Waterdale with the town centre and a refurbished 850 space Civic Quarter Car Park. The project is being delivered by Doncaster Council and its partner Muse Developments.
The project is being part funded by the European Union, as part of the European Regional Development Fund’s support for the region’s economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme. The Civic Offices open to the public on Monday 14 January 2013.
Elsewhere in South Yorkshire, Rotherham Council recently opened its state of the art Riverside House, built and occupied to similar principles. Public Sector Nomads are running a showcase 21st Century Accommodation workshop in conjunction with the Council on 5th March 2013. Read more and pre-register your interest here.