Perth and Kinross Council 'Set To Spend £1 million On HQ Move'
Perth and Kinross Council's believed to be set to spend nearly £1 million shifting offices from one floor of its headquarters to another.
Perth and Kinross Council looks set to transfer a suite of offices from the top floor to the ground floor of the listed building at a cost of £850,000.
The local authority - which claims the move will make the building more "modern" - will have to borrow the money to fund the move and interest payments will be £60,000 annually.
The downstairs move proposed for the meeting rooms has been revealed along with a £3.3 million refurbishment programme for the council's Perth High Street HQ.
Part of the plan will be a £150,000 cost fitting anti-noise and privacy measures to prevent the new ground floor offices being disturbed by road noise and passers-by.
In a report to go before councillors next week, Depute Chief Executive Jim Valentine recommends approval of the plan to move from floor 4 to the ground floor.
He said: "The report recommends the relocation of the Council Chambers from Floor 4 to the ground floor of 2 High Street together with associated works to Floor 4 of the building at an estimated additional cost of £850,000.
"This estimate comprises £700,000 for building and enabling works and a provision of £150,000 for appropriate furniture and audio-visual solutions.
"It is proposed that this expenditure be met through incurring £850,000 of additional prudential borrowing. The annual revenue cost of supporting this additional borrowing is estimated at £60,000.
"The relocation of the Council Chambers to the ground floor presents significant benefits in terms of supporting public access to the building together with the opportunity to create a modern flexible meeting space for the Council.
"Whilst there are additional cost implications in delivering this option, there is an the opportunity to better utilise the space and relocate the Council Chambers as part of the current refurbishment programme at a time when the building is vacant.
"Any later re-configuration of the Chambers will be more expensive and disruptive. It is, therefore, recommended that the Council approve the relocation of the Council Chambers to the ground floor."
"The refurbishment of the Council's 2 High Street headquarters provides an opportunity to improve public access to the decision making of the Council through relocating the Council Chambers on the Ground Floor.
"Under this option, the design of the new Council Chambers would require to address potential issues of privacy; noise management and welfare arising from location on the ground floor of the building.
"The proposal would be to introduce secondary opaque glazing and acoustic treatments to the Council Chamber to address traffic noise and privacy issues together with a flexible lighting solution and air conditioning to address welfare issues."
Councillors will be urged to agree to the proposals when they meet on Wednesday.