Plans submitted for new Civic Offices

PLANS have been submitted for new civic offices which will spearhead a £250m regeneration scheme in Shropshire.

The plans by Telford & Wrekin Council are for a landmark building of high quality design that will set the tone for the Southwater regeneration, fronting on to the Main Street and the Southwater lake.

The proposed new offices include some of the latest environmental design features, while the ground floor will house three units which could become shops, cafes, bars or restaurants serving the new Southwater area.

The new offices will be built at no cost to the local taxpayer, being wholly funded from the sale of the council’s current Civic Offices site to supermarket group Asda Walmart. The authority expects to move into the new offices in early 2013.

Significant savings are expected in heating and lighting costs and in repairs and maintenance costs due to the eco-design of the new building. The net saving in energy costs alone will be £100,000 a year.

The building will provide office space for around 550 staff and will include a specially designed customer area on the ground floor, which will house the council’s First Point customer centre.

Among the building’s key features are:
•    A five storey building with three wings
•    Almost 8,000 sq m of office space and more than 600 sq m of retail space
•    Large open plan offices
•    Three ground floor retail units to help generate rental income and provide active frontage onto the main street and Southwater Lake after the offices close in the evening.
•    A top energy efficiency rating which could include solar panels, a natural ventilation system and a biomass or combined heat and power boiler
•    The exterior will be in contemporary brick and tile – white or pale terracotta tiles for the upper levels and blue brick for the ground floor columns, with timber to help soften this.

Council leader Andrew Eade said: “These are plans we can proud of, that make a clear statement about the sort of development that we want Southwater to be.”

The planning application is likely to be considered in January.