East Devon District Council Leader, Cllr Paul Diviani (second right) and deputy Leader, Cllr Phil Twiss (second left) join Paul Gale (left), Regional Director of contractors Interserve, and deputy Chief Executive, Richard Cohen (right) for a site visit to see how works are progressing.

Foundations in place for new EDDC HQ

Construction of East Devon District Council’s new headquarters in Honiton is progressing well with groundworks completed and the building foundations underway.

The council is expected to be working in the new premises by December 2018 and contractors, Interserve Construction Ltd, are on schedule to complete on time. The new offices are designed for flexible modern ways of working and will accommodate the central services of the council and provide the breadth of public services as well. The building will be fully accessible as well as energy efficient. A new council chamber and meeting rooms will have up-to-date audio visual facilities for councillors, officers and the public to make best use of.

Visually, the building will be contemporary in shape and balanced with more traditional elements of pitched roofs and brickwork.

The headquarters are sited alongside the council’s well used business centre, ensuring that it will be part of a service hub for our residents and business community alike.

Cllr Paul Diviani, Leader of the council, viewed the construction site earlier this week along with deputy Leader Cllr Phil Twiss. Cllr Diviani said: “As promised, we are delivering on our commitment to East Devon residents and businesses to provide a new headquarters in the heart of the district that will be cost effective, well designed and ensures the council is fit for the future.”

Along with the construction work in Honiton, the council is currently investing in the modernisation of Exmouth Town Hall to provide future council services and the building is expected to reopen in November. Once the move to Honiton is complete, the council will have a strong presence in its two largest towns making its services even more accessible to its residents.

Earlier this year the council decided that its relocation to Honiton could go ahead in the expectation of future sale of East Devon’s current office site at Knowle in Sidmouth, which is owned outright by the local authority.

Knowle’s sale and ultimate redevelopment will still take place in the future and the capital receipt will then be secured to part fund the relocation which will cost £10,361,000 in total.