The Joint Administration (JA) of Durham County Council (DCC) has welcomed a report that will be presented to the council’s Cabinet next week, which makes recommendations for the future of the authority’s headquarters and other office accommodation. The report will ask DCC’s Cabinet to approve the sale of the new building at the Sands, and agree proposals for new office and civic facilities at Aykley Heads, plus the refurbishment of the former Stanley Customer Access Point, which has remained vacant for several years.
Following the formation of the JA in May 2021, the new DCC Cabinet commissioned a review of the future use of the council’s new building at the Sands. The 10-month review involved the development of a business case to look at alternative options to occupying the building as the council’s headquarters. The work was undertaken in the context of the wider economic strategy, revised business practices such as working from home and hybrid models, and environmental considerations. The key objective was to secure the best fit for purpose office accommodation and civic space for the authority in the long term.
Partners in the JA have welcomed the proposals that will go before Cabinet on Wednesday 27 April, which include:
- Selling the building at the Sands to Durham University to enable the development of its new state of the art business school
- Developing a plot at Aykley Heads to build new civic space for DCC, including much needed conference facilities for the council and local businesses
- Occupying office accommodation in a second building at Aykley Heads that is already under construction, which will also provide invaluable local support for the recently approved DLI development, which will include an arts and cultural offer, and a café and restaurant
- Refurbishing the Grade 2 listed Stanley Customer Access Point to provide additional office accommodation elsewhere in the county.
The report to Cabinet will set out the strong economic and environmental case for accepting the recommendations, which will deliver a significant net financial gain to DCC, raising revenue and enhancing the appeal of Aykley Heads for other inward investment. The proposals will also spread investment across County Durham, both in Stanley and through the relocation of staff to other areas in the county.
The proposals in the Cabinet report do not change the timetable for demolishing County Hall. The building cannot come down until the new History Centre is completed in 2024, which will then allow DCC’s archive to be safely transferred. Before then, county council staff will start moving to the new building that is under construction on Aykley Heads from early next year. The new buildings that will be occupied by the council will provide flexible workspace, adaptable to staff numbers at the time, and with the potential for letting parts of the buildings to other tenants.
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, comments: “The Joint Administration has delivered on its promise to review decisions about the county council’s headquarters that were made by Labour. The report that will go to Cabinet sets out an ambitious vision for the county council’s core estate. Not only do the recommendations make excellent economic and environmental sense, but they will also provide a boost to business and support our ambition to level up across the whole county.
“The proposals for Aykley Heads are very exciting and will deliver the right combination of high quality office accommodation for the county council, along with contemporary, flexible civic space. This approach will be much more appropriate for the way that we will all be working in the future, and the much needed conference facilities will provide an added attraction to business, helping to attract firms to the site and generating an additional income stream for Durham County Council. In addition, Durham University will be able to use the building at the Sands to nurture the next generation of business leaders right here in the county, who will drive our economic success in the long term.
“Meanwhile, we will also deliver on our promise to support communities throughout County Durham. The Stanley Customer Access Point has been neglected for far too long and its refurbishment will provide a much needed economic boost to the town, and can be a catalyst for attracting more inward investment to the area.”
