New council HQ, NHS and police hub plan for city
PLANS for a new council headquarters in Cardiff that could bring council, police and NHS services all under one roof are being explored.
Cardiff council is exploring the possibility of building a new headquarters which could house a range of public services.
The city council has put forward plans for a 15,000-seater indoor arena in Cardiff Bay which would be built on land including the existing County Hall.
A number of sites were suggested but the site in Cardiff was the preferred location.
The council has held discussions with Welsh Government ministers about the proposed public services hub – and wants to have a business case prepared before the summer.
Councillor Russell Goodway, speaking in a Policy Review and Performance Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday, April 18, said: “We’re in discussions with police and other government departments in the NHS and Department for Work and Pensions to see whether there’s a potential to create a public service hub in the city so we can get greater collaboration across the public sector.
“We have had initial discussions with Welsh Government ministers in terms of potential locations.
“I would like to think we’ll be in a position to take a business case to cabinet prior to the summer.”
Refurbishing the council’s two main offices – Cardiff City Hall and County Hall in Atlantic Wharf – would cost far more than a new building, a council review has found. According to the council’s Corporate Property Strategy: “The development of a new council headquarters building offers the greatest potential for delivering measurable improvements in property performance as well as delivering a significant level of savings back to the council.
“The refurbishment of County Hall and City Hall to a standard where they would be fit for purpose for a 20- 25-year period and capable of enabling modern working practices would cost significantly more over the 25-year period than a new building.
“The development of a new office building could be funded from within existing budgets and could release a significant saving back to the council.
“It could also make a significant contribution towards the corporate priority to create jobs.”