ORC set to move to new Exchange chamber

THE Otago Regional Council chamber will be shifted to its new temporary home at Philip Laing House next month after an almost milliondollar revamp.

ORC executive officer Ian McCabe said yesterday the regional council was planning to use the new council chambers for the first time on May 16.

The council has been renovating the entire second floor of the building in The Exchange, spending $661,000 on construction and professional fees and $314,013 for furniture, fittings and equipment costs.

This also included constructing additional office space.

There were no ‘‘substantive delays’’ on the project, he said.

Construction began in January and was expected to be completed by the end of this month or early next month.

Seven fulltime public transport and integrated ticketing staff were moving to the new office and there would also be room for more, he said.

Those staff are now based in a building on Moray Pl.

The Philip Laing space will be leased until the council has built a new head office.

The reason for the temporary move was the council’s work programmes over the past few years required hiring more staff, Mr McCabe said.

This placed ‘‘considerable pressure’’ on the ORC’s Stafford St site.

The council favours a new building on the site of a large car park in Dowling St.

It expected to be ready to consult on the proposed new headquarters in the next financial year, he said.

‘‘Once we have some reasonable certainty around whether Dowling St can be secured, we will prepare more detailed information and costings to enable us to meaningfully consult on options for our building needs.’’