City Hall

sell City Hall into the property market, to become a hotel or plush apartments.

Why the contribution is important

'City Hall' as a title set a lot of backs up. Despite the genuine intention to make it 'belong' to the citizens it misfired and is seen as an unwanted americanisation.

The Council simply needs office accommodation, far less floor area than it currently occupies in total. The cost of the building in energy consumption alone must be enormous, and it is not an efficient or comfortable building to work in.

Rationalisation of the council estate must surely be in progress, and this is a bullet that needs biting.  My guess is that the voters will see it as a sensible move if the figures are set out for them.

Moving to a modern, purpose built office building, possibly mid-way between Marlborough St and Temple Meads, would be better for all employees, and a less intimidating edifice for citizens accessing council services.

 

by user345652 on November 27, 2013 at 11:17AM

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Comments

  • Posted by user718520 November 27, 2013 at 11:31

    Hi Peter
    We're already moving to a modern office building in Temple Street. This will assist in the regeneration of Redcliffe and give momentum to the enterprise zone.

    http://www.bristol.gov.uk/[…]/city-council-buys-central-bristol-site

    As part of our existing cost efficiency measures, we're reducing the number of council buildings from 35 to 8. Read more about how we're saving money:
    http://www.bristol.gov.uk/[…]/how-can-we-balance-budget

    The plan at the moment doesn't envisage leaving City Hall / The Council House, although there are plans to house more people in the building and make some internal changes to maximise its use and save more money. Do bear in mind it's grade 2* building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Hall,_Bristol which restricts what you could do with the building.

    What do others think of this idea?
      

  • Posted by user345652 November 27, 2013 at 11:36

    Don't be cowed by 'listed building' status. Many listed buildings have changed their use over time, and English Heritage are not obstructive to fresh ideas for uses, especially where the re-use involves a re-furbish. The building is expensive to maintain, and whole-life costs, capital and revenue, need to be considered in all property decisions.

  • Posted by user251846 November 28, 2013 at 11:56

    Would prefer the name 'City Hall' be be ditched and the proper name restored. Hopefully this will happen when (and if) we elect a different mayor, or discard the mayor experiment altogether. Rationalisation already underway (see above), but knowing BCC's record, even this may be expensively mis-managed!
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