£18 million overhaul of Shropshire Council's Shirehall HQ on cards for spring

Members of the council's cabinet yesterday agreed in principal to the dramatic £18.7 million refurbishment of the outdated Shirehall in Shrewsbury.

Due diligence and a feasibility study will now be carried out - at a cost to the council of £300,000 although it has been awarded £150,000 from the Government for the scheme.

The council had considered vacating the site and relocating and rebuilding elsewhere but the costs were deemed to be 'too high'.

It had also looked in the partial renovation of the building but is was felt this did not address a number of issues including heating, energy wastage and the building being unattractive to potential partners and external companies who may otherwise take up office space and thereby generate income.

Leader of the council, Councillor Peter Nutting, said he hoped the renovation work of the 1960s building, which he described as 'tired', would be at the forefront of moving the council in to a 'new world'.

According to Tim Smith, head of the council's business initiatives and commercial services the work, which could start as early as May, would take three years to complete.

On completion there would be open plan work spaces, hot desking and spaces which could be rented out to businesses or partners.

Councillor Nutting said that it is estimated that by attracting private and commercial partners to the refurbished building, the council would be able to generate approximately £2 million in revenue per year.

At the cabinet meeting, Councillor Roger Evans, Lib Dem leader of the opposition, said he was in favour of the renovations adding: "I have long advocated for this. We should invest in this building. It will improve our finances and revenue.

"We would be able to bring staff back in to the building from outside. This is a win, win, win. If the council is going to occupy it for decades to come, let's make it liveable."

Councillor Alan Mosley, leader of the Labour Party, added: "I applaud this."

But he did question why the council had previously considered moving to other sites around the town.

In response, George Candler, director of place and enterprise said that the world had changed digitally and financially and said that the new administration, headed by Councillor Nutting, had made their wish to stay at the Shirehall clear.

Cabinet members agreed unanimously that the proposal should go ahead and over the next three months further work will be carried out to thrash out the finer details of the scheme.