Council faces £400,000 bill for new offices

Exeter City Council is planning to move to Senate House in Southernhay Gardens

Exeter City Council wants to abandon plans to move into smaller city centre offices, instead looking to pay more than £400,000 to move to an office that will house 300 desks.

The city council says it wants to "downsize" from the 1970s offices it currently occupies on Paris Street as they are under-occupied and could be redeveloped for housing.

It had made plans to move into the Guildhall shopping centre, which it bought in May 2022 for an undisclosed sum.

But now the council wants to move into Senate Court in Southernhay Gardens - which it also owns - but will need to pay £412,000 in compensation to current tenants so it can take over the building from July 2026.

Exeter City Council wants to move out of the Civic Centre offices on Paris Street it currently occupies

An extraordinary meeting is being held on Thursday and a report prepared for councillors says time has become "of the essence" to sign off the deal "due to a protracted negotiation with the council".

The report says the Civic Centre offices, built in 1972, are "widely considered no longer fit for purpose" and need "significant maintenance and repair".

A feasibility study has found office space in the Guildhall "does not deliver sufficient space for Council office-based staff".

The report added the Senate Court offices, opposite the Combined County Courts building, provided "modern, open plan and flexible accommodation" and could accommodate up to 300 desks.

It said upgrade works, including information technology installation and mounting solar panels on the roof of the building, could cost between £2.5m and £3m.

The current tenants have been in the building since August 2005 and, according to council officers, are entitled to a compensation package of £412,000 - twice the rateable value.

If the plans are approved on Thursday, a further feasibility study will be carried out on the required work and the budget for a move to Senate Court, with a view to Exeter City Council moving to the site in early 2027.