Pledge on future of historic building after costs hit revamp scheme

COUNCIL BOSSES have insisted they remain committed to keeping a historic city centre building for public use after redevelopment plans fell through.

York Council is reconsidering the future of the city’s Guildhall after pulling out of a deal with a private contractor to redevelop the building. The planned overhaul included serviced offices, riverside access, a cafe and restaurant but ground to a halt due to rising costs.

York Council gave the £9m deal to Interserve last August, but ended the contract because detailed costs turned out to be “significantly” higher than planned. On Tuesday next week, the council’s executive will discuss plans for the site.

The original plan could proceed with some features scaled back to cut costs, including the removal of a second storey and roof terrace from its cafe.

Council leader Ian Gillies said: “The Guildhall is a wonderful yet very complex site, so the opportunity to look again at the project once the real costs were known was the only responsible thing to do.

“We’re absolutely committed to retaining Guildhall’s public and civic use while giving even more people access to its incredible features.”

The council said work worth £150,000 commissioned from the contractor before the deal was ended would be used to determine the scope and cost of the revised plans.

Coun Keith Aspden, the executive member for economic development and community engagement, said: “We have a duty to secure best value for York council taxpayers and we can’t let costs spiral. We now need to focus on making the most of the Guildhall’s enormous potential.”