Broadland and South Norfolk Councils finally set to move to shared office
Both will move to the Horizon Centre at the Broadland Business Park
Two Norfolk councils will finally complete their move into a shared office, a year after they agreed the £7.1m purchase.
Broadland and South Norfolk councils are finally expected to complete the move to the Horizon Centre at the Broadland Business Park on May 30.
The pair agreed to the move in May last year but did not complete the purchase until September.
Councillors at both authorities had questioned the need for the switch and whether the figures for the purchase stacked up.
While South Norfolk Council’s (SNC) old Long Stratton office has been shut since late last year, Broadland’s will shut on May 26 while the transition takes place.
The Horizon Centre has been empty since Aviva staff moved out in 2021.
The site is expected to be larger than the needs of the councils and sections – including the second floor and an annexe – could be rented out to generate extra income.
Rather than having a purpose-built council chamber, meetings are expected to be held in a conference room which could also be available for hire.
A statement on the council’s website says the move will “provide huge savings” with lower running costs thanks to hundreds of solar panels already installed and lower carbon emissions than the previous buildings.
It added: “The building also has existing electric car charging points that could be used as a revenue generator by making them available to residents out of hours.”
What will be done with the old offices has not been confirmed.
SNC held a meeting in April where they were expected to decide who to sell the old offices to. But councillors voted to delay the decision until after the local elections.
Planning rules mean that Broadland’s old office must be marketed until July before a decision can be made.