Work to refurbish the Town Hall in Weston-super-Mare into an improved public and civic facility reached a major milestone yesterday with the topping out ceremony to mark the completion of the new roof.
The £9.7m transformation means North Somerset Council will deliver on its promises of going from 18 buildings to two, halving its floorspace, saving £700,000 every year and increasing the number of public and private sector jobs in Weston town centre.
It will also mean that the council will run the Town Hall buildings more efficiently – photovoltaic panels on the new roof will help reduce carbon emissions by 61% – and make council services more accessible in a vibrant, ground floor facility opening to the public this autumn.
A new ramp and entrance on Walliscote Grove Road will give direct access to the new facility which will sit under an internal atrium. As well as the relocated Weston Library, HomeChoice, Revenue and Benefits, housing enquiries and many other public services will be available on the ground floor.
The new library will have dedicated children’s and young people’s zones and a bigger local studies area than the current library in the Boulevard. Thirty-four public computers, payment kiosks and self-service units to check library books in and out will make accessing services quick and easy. Staff will be on hand to assist with more detailed enquiries.
Meanwhile, the transformation of the upper floors will create office space for around 950 people – 50% more than before – including 80 new posts recently announced by Agilisys, the council’s support services partner.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Nigel Ashton, said: “Doing nothing at the Town Hall was not an option. Both the Town Hall and Weston Library buildings needed costly remedial works which wouldn’t give any tangible benefit to the services we deliver. Instead, this wise investment in the Town Hall will make it quicker and easier to access council services and provide a library fit for the 21st century, achieving better value for money.”
The Town Hall works are part of the council’s innovative programme to improve the way it works. Council staff, previously fragmented across 18 sites, are being co-located in two efficient ‘hubs’ – the Town Hall in Weston and Castlewood in Clevedon – where they can work more easily with each other and council partners sharing the buildings. Agilisys and Liberata (the council’s outsource partners), along with NHS North Somerset, have already moved staff into Castlewood and the council is talking to other public sector partners about working alongside council staff in the refurbished Town Hall.
Cllr Ashton continued: “The Town Hall is part of a much bigger story. By basing council staff at the Town Hall and Castlewood they will be able to work together and with our partners to deliver improved services for local people. As well as giving the council and our partners the capacity to expand our operations, the move also dramatically reduces our property maintenance and energy costs and, coupled with rental income from partners, means we can save £700,000 each year by 2015/16.”
Cllr Ashton was joined by Cllr Colin Hall, Chairman of North Somerset Council, and other council representatives, plus representatives from Willmott Dixon, the council’s contractor, and pupils from Walliscote Primary School at the topping out ceremony.
