A total waste of money

[peter macdonald]

http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/news/newsreleases/2007/March/2007-03-27-03.htm

Funny about how we gripe about Westminster MPs , Hollyrood MSPs and Brussells MEPs and how they waste taxpayers money when this is going on under our noses

I wonder where and when the public consultation on this was??? Where is about to be built ??? How hypocritical is the council when it says it doesnt want to see the run down of town centres and yet they seem to be moving out themselves??? I also saw the headline on the news page about "Local contractors" tendering I didnt see any local names there unless Tullochs (Inverness )are now classed as local
PM

[Andrew]

I thought they stated earlier that they needed to spend a lot of cash on the old building to make it safe and compliant with recent legislation. hope the old buildings aint just abandoned though.

wasnt wetherspoons looking for nearby buildings to turn into a hotel area?

[peter macdonald]

Be fine if Wotherspoons are looking to take the buildings over However it seems strange that they could make a hotel out of them when the council cant use them as offices!!!!!!...I would like to have seen the costings on this It seems to have been kept very quiet !!!
The so called local contractors the have named are
KG Estates Ltd (a consortium of William Gray Construction Ltd & Kilmartin Property Group Ltd);
Robertson property Ltd.;
Synergie Scotland Ltd.; and
Tulloch Ltd.
Not too many Caithness ones there Im afraid
PM

[emszxr]

nearly the same what they are doing in east sutherland. taking the dornoch, golspie and brora council offices together and spending a fortune (£12m approx) on a listed building in golspie.
just so they can sit in a nice big office in a huge leather chair

[Pepsix]

I thought they stated earlier that they needed to spend a lot of cash on the old building to make it safe and compliant with recent legislation. hope the old buildings aint just abandoned though.

wasnt wetherspoons looking for nearby buildings to turn into a hotel area?
The current buildings do not meet the health and safety requirements. There is also staff spread out throughout the town ie Airport offices, Social work, Rhind house etc. The idea is it would be more cost efficient if they were all under one roof and share facilities, have meeting rooms etc.
However the contract that is out for tender is to provide the facilities required by the council and to take over and develop the current council facilities. It is envisaged that this will be a mix of shops, town flats and small office space.

It will enhance the town centre and will not be left vacant. Maybe because it is such a big contract local firms felt they were not able to do the work. It was advertised in several magazines and the Groat so everyone had an opportunity.

Yes there was an upgrade of the Service Point last year that was because of the DDA legislation which meant that it had to be done. There for a legal requirement not just an upgrade.

The new offices and upgrade of the town centre is a 'good news' story for Wick. Councillors have worked hard to get new offices 'fit for purpose' it would have been much easier to make do and see jobs move south.

This is a positive thing to be happening in the town not negative.

[peter macdonald]

The current buildings do not meet the health and safety requirements. There is also staff spread out throughout the town ie Airport offices, Social work, Rhind house etc. The idea is it would be more cost efficient if they were all under one roof and share facilities, have meeting rooms etc.

you would think the places were hundreds of miles away from each other !! How do they communicate now ..by phone the same way as they would do if in a large office complex ,,is the cost of putting the existing buildings in order more than the cost of building new ???

It is envisaged that this will be a mix of shops, town flats and small office space.

Wow dont the council read the Org?? or have they not noticed the number of empty shops in Wick town centre ???? New shops ....a reality check is due big time

It will enhance the town centre and will not be left vacant

How can it be enhanced when the major player is moving out?? How do you know it wont be left vacant??

Maybe because it is such a big contract local firms felt they were not able to do the work

Well why is is it on the the Org as LOCAL FIRMS TENDER FOR NEW OFFICES ???

The new offices and upgrade of the town centre is a 'good news' story for Wick. Councillors have worked hard to get new offices 'fit for purpose' it would have been much easier to make do and see jobs move south.

?? At a time when we are being told of cutting the amount of refuse uptakes when less roads are being gritted when the council tax bills are rising Our councillors are spending time and a heck of a lot of money on new offices??
They want to remember where the money is coming from..out of the pockets of the people of Caithness

This is a positive thing to be happening in the town not negative.

Please explain why this is a positive thing?? Please Please

PM

[peter macdonald]

"The four developers will be invited to submit proposals that will provide a solution to providing a new Council office in Wick. These proposals will incorporate the principle of rationalising the existing office accommodation in Wick onto a single site, however, should an out of town site be identified for the Council office then separate town centre accommodation would be required for the Council’s Service Point."

So in other words the council rationalisation under one roof might not be the case as they might need a separate building if they move out of town !!!

Laughable

The lack of suitable buildings did not seem to matter when the school kids were doing classes in portacabins!!

ps has anyone seen the actual cost of this exercise ???