New Shops, Offices and Homes

New Council Offices

The new council offices will house more than 1,000 staff, many of whom are currently scattered across the borough in a variety of different offices and in the existing 1960s Town Hall extension.

The new civic campus will save taxpayers money – as the new offices will cost less to run and maintain – and consolidate council officers on one site instead of being scattered in various facilities across the borough. The new offices have been designed to achieve a BREEAM Very Good sustainability rating – the second highest possible rating under the Building Research Establishment's (BRE) Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).

A new One-Stop shop

A new Council 'One Stop Shop' will be located in the entrance of the new offices where residents will be able to get advice on council tax, parking, elections and housing issues in a welcoming and easily accessible environment.

The design of the new offices, One Stop Shop and the pedestrian walkway linking them to the Town Hall have been carefully thought out to ensure the facilities are easily accessible to all members of the public, whilst being sensitive to the setting of the listed Town Hall.

New homes

286 new one, two and three bedroom apartments and 4 new townhouses will be provided on the site.

The homes have been designed to meet Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, the national standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes, introduced to reduce carbon emissions, through substantially increased levels of insulation, improved ventilation design and minimal water consumption.

100 parking spaces will be provided at basement level for residents of the new homes.

Shops and Restaurants

The new public square will be complemented by new shops and restaurants on two sides, to ensure that the square is well used all year round. The proposals include a new community-sized supermarket with five smaller shops or restaurants fronting onto the square on the eastern and western sides.

Community sized supermarket

The supermarket will be approximately 2,000 sq.m (20,000 sq.ft) - slightly larger than the existing Sainsbury's in Kings Mall. It will be used mainly for 'drop in' shopping, rather than big 'weekly shops', minimising the number of car journeys it will generate. At this stage, no operator has been confirmed to run the supermarket.

The supermarket will 'anchor' the square and help draw people down to this end of King Street, to visit other local businesses and spend time in the cafes and restaurants on the square.

120 car parking spaces will be created at basement level for use by shoppers, visitors to the Council's One Stop Shop and the general public. Cycle parking will be provided and electric car charging points will also be installed.