By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
A flyover video has given an impression of what Nottinghamshire County Council’s new debating chamber could look like if it leaves County Hall.
The Conservative-led authority will decide next week (July 13) whether to leave its West Bridgford home of more than 75 years.
The council could instead relocate to a new £18.3m home near Hucknall and Linby at Top Wighay Farm.
The potential move comes amidst a major repairs backlog costing £30m and a £28m bill to bring County Hall up to modern environmental standards.
Council bosses also say the current Loughborough Road site is only “30 per cent full” due to hybrid working, with money to be redirected into services.
Once complete, the new Top Wighay building will be low-carbon, all-electric and will boast high insulation and heat absorbing features.
These features, alongside solar panels, will help bills to be “kept as low as possible” and will keep the new building cooler in warmer months.
Councillor Keith Girling (Con), cabinet member for economic development and asset management, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It’s going to be the top marking for environmental buildings.
“It’ll be among the top 10 in the country and we’re setting the standard. It’s about the savings you then get because you’re not spending so much running it.
“It’s going to be all-electric, electric charging ports for cars, a bus route in and we’re even leaving space for a tram extension if NET want to do that.
“We’re trying to make it as environmentally friendly as possible.”
The building has been in the pipeline since 2020 when the authority – then under former leader Kay Cutts – launched the ‘Investing in Nottinghamshire’ programme.
This scheme included a wider review of the council’s property portfolio which has already seen the estate reduced from 17 to nine buildings.
The Top Wighay site – which was initially due to cost £15.7m before costs rose in recent estimates – was given planning consent in July last year.
But the approved plans could be reconfigured if the full council meeting supports the headquarter relocation.
Councillors will be asked to move the authority’s main civic functions – including the debating chamber – to the new home.
The relocation would also include offices for the senior leadership team, elected members and other departments like the customer services team.
And a new artist’s impression flyover video has outlined how the authority plans to redesign Top Wighay to accommodate the meeting chamber.
The new hall would feature removable tables and chairs which can be redesigned for major meetings and smaller committee rooms.
Currently, the County Hall chamber features fixed desks meaning the room can only be used for council meetings.
But under the new plans, it would be utilised for multiple purposes including hosting conferences and other forms of meetings.
It mirrors similar designs of other new council headquarters built in the county – including Rushcliffe Arena and Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Castle House base.
Floor plans show at least 16 meeting rooms will be integrated into the new building alongside offices for departments like the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub.
The authority says this will bring services “into the heart of the county”.
But opposition councillors have raised concerns over the impact the plans could have on Hucknall’s infrastructure.
And calls have been made for staff and residents to be given further information on how the relocation could affect them.
The decision next week does not determine what will happen with County Hall if the authority does leave the building.
A separate body of work, including a major consultation, will ask for views and the council says the heritage of the site will be protected.
