Residents, businesses and interested local groups are invited to have their say on draft proposals for the new city centre headquarters for Durham County Council. The Cabinet agreed a full business case for the move to land owned by the council on the riverside to pave the way for a new business park on the Aykley Heads site.
Aykley Heads, home to Atom Bank, the North East of England Chamber of Commerce, Salvus House and many other businesses, has been designated as a strategic employment site capable of attracting 6,000 new private sector jobs worth £400 million to the county’s economy. The public are invited to an exhibition of the initial visuals and early plans at Freeman’s Quay leisure centre in Freeman’s Place, DL1 1SQ, as follows:
Tuesday 10 July – 2pm – 8pm, Wednesday 11 July – 2pm – 8pm, Thursday 12 July – 2pm – 8pm
The new HQ will be a third of the size of the current one and offers not only considerable savings in running costs, but is being designed to maximise the potential for more modern ways of working. 1,000 staff will work from the HQ operating from 700 work stations and wider flexible areas. There will also be a council chamber and a café facility.
Anyone not able to attend one of next week’s consultation sessions can contribute their views in writing to:
Savills, Maling Exchange, Hoults Yard,, Walker Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2HL
Or online via email to Newcastle@savills.com
The early stage consultation on the draft proposals for the new HQ closes on July 19.
Feedback from all the events and those made by post and email will be gathered and will inform a full planning application which will be submitted later this summer. At that stage the public will have the chance to comment again as part of the usual planning process.
