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New Council Offices

 

Design Submitted for Planning Approval 

Please click for larger image

 

 

The New Council Offices will be built at the Town Station Site, Burton Street.  Our lead consultants for the professional team are EC Harris who have been appointed to project manage, design and build the new council offices.  The Council's Development Committee has now given approval (4th February 2010) to the application subject to the Environment Agency signing off the drainage scheme and which has now been given (4 March 2010).

 

You can view the planning application that was submitted by the Council by using the link below:

http://publicaccess.melton.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KTF202KO00G00

 

Results of the second phase of consultation on the building are available here.  Feedback from this consultation has been incorporated throughout the design phase and the story of these changes can be viewed here.

 

Listed below are some Hot Topics related to the development of the New Council Offices.  More information will be posted here as it becomes available. However please contact us at newcounciloffices@melton.gov.uk if you would like any specific information. Please also visit other relevant pages on our website:

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

Are the Council undertaking any Public Consultation on the new building?

Yes the Council has carried out two phases of Consultation throughout the Borough, over 600 people were asked their opinion on what the building should look like, the Civic Suite facilities, green issues, we also gave information on workstyle and the site.  The results of the first phase of consultation and the Council’s feedback to that are available here.  The views and opinions from phase two consultation completed October 2009 have been fed into changes to the design of the building and are available here.

The Council has set up a public consultation group (Sounding Board) made up of individuals who indicated they would like to be involved as part of the initial consultation process and they have had several meetings.  Further details on the Sounding Board can be accessed by clicking on the link.

In addition to public consultation and the Sounding Board the Council invited the following groups to our consultation events; Seniors Forum, Youth Forum, Access Groups, Tenant and Resident Groups, Council Staff, Civic Society, Town Centre Partnership, Town Estate, Melton Community Forum, Business Rate Payers Group and all the Parish Councils in the Melton Borough.

Melton Mails were sent to the whole Borough where we asked all residents for their views and there was a planning consultation process.

 

Will this be the last chance for me to have my say or to see the plans?

The planning application was submitted and registered, as with any other Planning Application, the plans and supporting documents are available on-line, under the ‘Planning Applications’ section of the MBC website and at the Wilton Road Public Library.  The submission of the Planning Application was published in the Melton Times and the Planning Authority notified immediate neighbours directly.

 

A major part of the Planning Authority’s decision-making process was to consider the comments and concerns raised by the public and by other interested bodies (such as the Environment Agency, English Heritage, CABE etc).  Further details can be accessed by clicking on the following links:-

 

Development Committee Report and Decision Notice

 

In addition to the responses to the Planning Application, the Council also welcomes constructive comments, suggestions or idea at any time during the design and construction process.  Please direct you correspondence either by email to newcounciloffices@melton.gov.uk

 

Will there be any ‘independent’ assessment of the proposals, i.e. by someone who is not associated with Melton Borough Council?

Yes.  Although not a mandatory requirement, the Council decided to put the proposals before a design review panel from the ‘Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment’ (CABE), an independent and highly respected organisation dedicated to raising the standard of the built environment on behalf of the public.  Details of who they are and what they do can be found on-line at http://www.cabe.org.uk/

 

Why build at all?

The Council will, when it builds, have access to a substantial insurance settlement.  If it does not build, Phoenix House (the refurbished office building on Nottingham Road) cannot house all of its staff and the settlement would be substantially less losing out on the opportunities that the fire offers, such as regeneration of the Town Station site, additional offices for businesses that Melton desperately needs and a substantial receipt from the disposal of the Nottingham Road site.  The Council would also have ongoing revenue costs it will need to cover as the amount of space we have currently is inadequate and this would impact on the Council’s finances.

 

Why move to the Town Station site?

The Council commissioned in September 2008, a report from Savill’s (professional property specialists) looking at different potential locations for the new offices.  This identified the Town Station site and Nottingham Road as the front runners.  It is a fabulous location, the site has been disused for the past 25 years with many previous attempts at development that have failed for a variety of reasons.

The current condition of the development market is such that the old Melton Square scheme (shops/houses) was not viable and this move provides an opportunity to finally develop the site.

From a sustainability point of view it is more central and provides an opportunity to deliver additional footfall into the town centre in a way that does not overly impact on traffic flows.  This should have a beneficial impact on the shops and business on this side of town.

Very importantly it also provides the opportunity for County and District Council services and potentially other partners to be located together on one site which will be a tremendous opportunity for improving service delivery.  In addition, a well designed building could provide a “gateway” statement into Melton and enhance the connection to this historic part of the town and Play Close.

 

Initially, why did you not consult on the move?

We only have a limited time period to rebuild under the insurance cover.  We are not spending our won money so need to make sure it stays that way by meeting the insurance deadlines.  We therefore had to make decisions quickly.  We received a lot of information and reports prior to making the decision and took professional advice.  For anyone to make a balanced decision all that information had to be understood.  The practicality of ensuring this made consultation not possible in the timescale we had.  The Council must be businesslike in acquiring land and public consultation on sites we did not own may not have put us in the best position to negotiate.

 

Who will be sharing the Town Station site with you?

Currently we will be sharing with the County Council and Probation Service.  Others are also looking at the options for joint-working and their office requirements.  We would anticipate that they will fully fund their own space requirements, probably through rental payments, and that this will not be a pressure on the Council’s budget.

 

What size will the new building be?

Overall it will be approximately 3,400m².  we have focused on reducing our office space through our experience with the fire and researching industry best practice.  Office wise, Melton Borough Council’s requirements have reduced from 2574 square metres (in the pre-fire offices) to 1543 square metres for the proposed new offices.  We have achieved this by introducing new ways of flexible working, which include a high proportion of the staff desk-sharing.  This has amounted to a percentage reduction of office space area of 41%.  The new way of flexible working we have introduced as a result of the fire, we see continuing into the new build.  The customer service space requirement will also be less as a result of new facilities at our Children’s Centres and out reach working directly in the community.  The Civic Space will be a similar size to what it was previously.

 

What about car parking?

The site was selected partly due to its proximity to the train station and we are working on a green travel plan to help reduce the demand for car parking spaces.  The town station site, including the pay and display area, has maximum car parking layout of just over 300 spaces.  In accessing the demand for car parking the following factors will be considered:

  • The introduction of charges which we are monitoring carefully through the use of detailed information from our new ticket machines.
  • We will need to consider the final numbers of staff who might occupy the new offices and their car parking demand.
  • Parking requirements will be substantially less than what we used to have.
  • The potential for other sites to be brought on stream to help manage the town’s traffic flows and car parking needs generally.

 

What about the Melton Square Development of shops, offices and housing?

This will no longer go ahead.  The current market conditions have made it very difficult for retailers and developers.  The Council’s planning process has identified other potential sites for retail development in future years.

 

Will it affect my Council Tax?

The Council had good insurance cover and the costs of temporary arrangements and new build fall to the insurers; this will act as a natural restriction on the cost of the new build.  It is hoped that overheads will be kept down through improved income from our tenants, users and reduced running costs through a more efficient building.  Any uninsured costs are being kept to a minimum and being managed wherever possible within current budgets.

 

How will you make sure costs do not balloon and it finishes on time?

We have appointed E C Harris, professional building consultants, to manage the project.  It is actually a very good time to be offering a contract of this size to the market due to the downturn in economy, and we anticipate good value from the building contractors.  The key to pinning costs down is to ensure that we remove as many risks as possible through site surveys and testing ground conditions etc.  We have carried out a significant amount of this work already, to identify these issues.  In addition, the more detailed the specification the builder is given the better chance of coming in on budget and on time.

We have a good recent track record of completing projects to deadline with both the Cove and the Edge Children’s Centres being completed on track and in budget.  The contract will be guaranteed maximum price with the successful contractor and the time line is achievable.

 

How do we know we are getting the best possible building for the available budget?

Building projects are usually shaped by three key criteria, those being TIME, COST and QUALITY.  Different projects will place differing levels of importance on one or more of these criteria.  ‘Quality’ however is ALWAYS important and particularly so in the case of public buildings.  The delivery of high-quality building, within the available budget and within the required timescale (which also affects cost) is the priority objective.

 

The Council and design team monitor and control each of these three elements throughout the design process and during the building’s construction, particularly at key milestones such as just before submitting the planning application or before awarding the construction contract.  In this way the Council and design team constantly balance these three elements to deliver a building that is ‘good value for money’ and one of which the people of the Melton Borough can be justly proud.

 

The quality of the service provided to the Council by their project team is controlled, guided and monitored through a ‘Quality Management System’ (QMS), alive and constantly updated method of controls and checks which not only records and reviews progress, but actively guides the process in order to maintain a professional and comprehensive level of service provided to the Council.

 

On a more subjective level we measure the Quality of a project on its:

 

Functional operation – does it provide the environment required to accommodate its intended function?

 

Environmental performance – how sustainable is it in its construction, operation and potentially its future adaptation or even demolition.  Does the measured performance over a fixed period meet or exceed the intended performance targets.

 

Aspirational qualities – does it inspire, encourage or raise the expectations of its users?

 

Contribution to wider context – does it have a positive effect on its immediate and wider setting?  Is it seen positively by the community in which it sits?

 

Aesthetic qualities – does its outward appearance have a positive impact on its immediate and wider setting and do its interior spaces provide safe, comfortable, attractive and inspiring internal environments.

 

What are you saying to us?

We have had both negative and positive feedback on the Council’s decision.  Some feel that the Council should stay at Nottingham Road, others that we should keep the Town Station site and develop it ourselves for retail/housing.  Some do not feel that this type of development on the Town Station site will regenerate the area.  Do nothing or stay as we were is always an option, but not one that the Council has chosen.  It is highly likely that the Town Station site would be mothballed for many more years if we had not put the Council Offices there.

 

When will all this happen?

 

Winter 2009                            Work on design and detail

                                                Apply for planning permission

                                                Appoint builder

 

Spring 2010                            Start on site, although some work such as demolition etc. may commence earlier

 

Early Summer 2011                Planned completion and opening of the new council building

 

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