Nottinghamshire’s County Hall ‘could become homes and retail space’ after council votes to leave

County Hall in Nottinghamshire could be converted into 350 residential units and major commercial space, early assessments have revealed.

Nottinghamshire County Council approved plans to vacate its historic headquarters in West Bridgford after 77 years on July 13, due to spiralling maintenance costs.

Prior to approving the relocation, the Conservative administration said no decisions have been made on the future use of County Hall.

Residents, developers, community and heritage groups will now be asked for their views on the best uses for the historic building.

However, a council report seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service has revealed discussions on the future use of the building took place last year.

A “cross-section” of regeneration specialists had been approached by the authority’s in-house developer Arc Partnership at the time of the report’s publication in November last year.

The report says some parties “felt the [re]development has the potential to set new benchmarks for values in Nottingham”.

‘Future uncertain’

The document, which was discussed by a behind-closed-doors ‘task and finish’ group of councillors in the same month, then outlines how the building could be redeveloped.

It says the building would “suit a mix of residential tenures” as well as commercial units like restaurants, working spaces, a creche and a gym.

The “initial thinking” included about 350 residential units and about 2,500 square metres of commercial use across the existing ‘H block’.

It adds developers believe the site could accommodate private, for sale, build-to-rent and senior living housing on the riverside.

New buildings could also be built to the north and south of the existing building to “open up views through the site” near the banks of the River Trent.

The long-term plan is to protect and gain listed status for the existing building – including its iconic green roof and statues.

Cllr Ben Bradley MP, the council’s leader, insisted no decisions on the future use of the building have been made and said this only outlines the viability of County Hall.

“It’s still an open book and we’re going to have conversations about its best uses and about whether this building is viable or not,” he said.

“In order to do this, we have to consider what potential other uses there are.

“Arc has done the work on the condition study of the building, what it is and what its potential other uses are.

“This doesn’t mean we’ve decided anything.

“We haven’t been out to any commercial developers on this because Arc is a developer and a wholly-owned company of the council.”

‘Disingenuous’

During the debate on Thursday, Labour councillors called for the authority to publish the report and outline a business case for the future plans at County Hall.

Cllr Kate Foale, the group’s leader, said it is “disingenuous at best” asking councillors to vote for the relocation without a long-term plan for County Hall.

Commenting on the report, a Labour spokesperson added: “Our members are concerned about reported council documents making reference to the views of developers and the future of County Hall, as these could indicate that discussions have taken place.

“Any detail relating to so-called market testing activity should have been made public to prior to today’s vote and now needs to be released immediately.”

The Independent Alliance group raised concerns in the debate about both the cost of the new building and the impact on Hucknall’s infrastructure.

Cllr Lee Waters, who represents Hucknall South, said: “We always said [the council] wants to flog County Hall to the highest bidder.

“We always said the costs would spiral out of control and they have increased significantly and will continue to increase.”