Council to push ahead with Civic Centre review and could move to new HQ

Newport City Council will continue to look at future options for its headquarters at the Civic Centre, which could involve a move to a new home.

Cabinet members were keen to stress their decision at a meeting on Wednesday October 14 was only to consider various options for the listed building, and that no final plans to close it or downsize had been made.

The council’s leader, Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, noted it would cost around £102 million to bring parts of the Civic Centre up to modern standards, owing to “substantial maintenance and end-of-life-cycle pressures”.

The council will consider two options for a move – one could involve a complete departure from the Civic Centre, while the other would mean core democratic functions, such as public meetings, continue there.

The deputy leader, Cllr Deb Davies, said a “broad range of representations” would be considered before any decision.

Cllr James Clarke likened the building to the Marmite slogan, that people either love it or hate it, and said the Civic Centre had some areas which are “fantastic” but others “need help”.

“This is just the initial review,” he added.

Cllr Batrouni said the local authority had to consider the findings and costs of various proposals for a future home.

Various departure options would themselves cost between £26 million and £81 million, according to estimates in a cabinet report.

The leader said the council was “prioritising services for our residents, over the Civic Centre – that’s the way it should be”.

But the local authority also “needs to have the right facilities for staff”, he added.

Ahead of the meeting, Cllr Matthew Evans, who leads the Conservatives in opposition, said he was “disappointed” the building had been “left to get so run down”, and any move to a new headquarters “would have to be in a city centre location”.

Following the decision taken at the meeting, Cllr Batrouni said: “Cabinet has agreed that the evidence is strong enough to take two relocation options to the next level of detail.

“We will examine relocating to refurbished premises both with democratic functions moving alongside staff and with a democratic core retained at the Civic Centre.

“This is not a decision about where the council will move or a final decision about what will happen to the Civic Centre. Both options will now be assessed carefully against the needs of residents and services, accessibility, staff wellbeing, capacity, cost, sustainability, technology, security and travel.

“Protecting the Civic Centre’s civic significance and establishing a viable and sustainable future for the building will remain central to the next phase of work.”