South Oxfordshire District Council’s (SODC) plans to move back to their site in Crowmarsh Gifford have moved a step closer after the fire that destroyed its former headquarters in 2015.
On Thursday 13th February, South Oxfordshire residents are invited to an exhibition and feedback day where they can see the design for the new building and hear how their previous feedback has helped to inform its specifications.
Everyone attending the event will have an opportunity to comment on the building design and have a chance to give their thoughts on a shortlist of names for the new headquarters, which were suggested by staff and councillors.
The council has committed to building a headquarters with a sustainable future at its core. This was at the heart of the design brief provided to Ridge, the council’s design and project management contractor to deliver the new building. Ridge’s priority has been to make the very fabric of the building sustainable – working to the principle that if you build with the right sustainable materials, the building’s energy consumption is significantly reduced.
The council has had to balance the need for an exemplary sustainable building with its responsibilities to providing best value with public money. Over the course of the design and build phase of the project, the council intends to publish details of the decisions made around sustainability elements of the building along with compromises that may need to be made for cost-effectiveness – and how those compromises can be offset elsewhere.
The exhibition and feedback day is taking place at the council’s current offices at 135 Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4SB, from 7am to 7pm. Council officers, Councillor Andrea Powell, and experts from Ridge will be in attendance to answer any questions.
Anyone unable to attend on 13th February, will have a chance to view the images, leave feedback and show a preference for the name of the new council building via this survey. This will be available from 7am on 13th February through to midnight on Sunday 16th February.
Why has it taken so long to even get plans ?