COUNCILLORS have been told to think creatively about the future of County Hall by the council’s chief executive.

Speaking at a council meeting last week, Paul Robinson floated the idea of the authority’s headquarters doubling up as a business centre.

He said County Hall could be more than just a council building.

Investigation work is currently taking place at the building having been approved by cabinet earlier in the year.

Depending on what is found, up to £1.5 million could be spent on returning County Hall to the state it was in before it was vacated in June, when legionella bacteria was found.

IDEAS: Chief executive Paul Robinson told councillors to think creatively about County HallIDEAS: Chief executive Paul Robinson told councillors to think creatively about County Hall

Parts of the building have been closed off since September 2023 due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Asked for his thoughts at a full council meeting last week, Mr Robinson said if a building the “size and scale” of County Hall was to be built from scratch now, there was “no way” the council would afford it.

“So decisions about what we do with it need to be very carefully thought out, because there’s a huge amount of embedded cost in terms of energy and green credentials and if you build something, the amount of concrete, bricks etc that would be required.

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“That needs to be balanced against ‘what will we need for the future’. What scale, how are we going to operate and what is wrong with the building? Can it be repaired for a reasonable cost?”

Mr Robinson said £1.5m is a relatively low figure compared to the size of the building.

“I think that’s the best option if we can do it for a reasonable price,” he said.

“Beyond that if it needs to be redeveloped and it’s a significant cost, I would say to members ‘think creatively’. If we are going to spend money on the site, let’s look at ways to make it more than just a council building.

“Could we bring in some income and also give some community benefit, so it could be a business centre out-of-hours for small businesses that could use it as a corporate address and could use our car park, our desks.

“There are other options where you could get much more of a 24-hour use. Ideas about being a public sector hub - if you go to that location for NHS, council, police, whatever, there are examples of that around the country.

“There are a lot of options, but the one that stands out for me is about driving business because the building stands empty a lot of the time, even when we’re in it full time, from about 6pm onwards.”