Cash-strapped Liverpool city region local council applies for permission to demolish its seven-storey headquarters and sell it for redevelopment. Tony McDonough reports
Halton Council is pushing on with plans to demolish its current municipal headquarters and sell off the land to raise much-needed funds.
This seven-storey Municipal Building was originally opened in 1967 but an external review, carried out by JLL, reported it was spending £10m on multiple sites for its staff and needed to slim down its estate.
Now Halton has applied to its own planning committee to demolish the building which sit on a 0.8-acre site. It is expected demolition would not begin until January 2028 after which a private developer will be sought to develop the land.
Staff currently working in the building would be relocated elsewhere in Widnes. Halton is currently facing an annual overspend of £1.2m despite an emergency £30m cash injection from the Government.
The building was originally the home of Widnes Council add then later Halton. Council meetings are held at Runcorn Town Hall but the bulk of the council’s main administrative capacity is in Widnes.
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In April LBN reported the council was considering options for the for the DCBL Stadium, home to rugby league club Widnes Vikings, which could include a sale.
Tender documents were issued by Halton which is looking to commission a feasibility study that would outline its options for the future of the 13,200-capacity arena. A sale isn’t inevitable but is on a list of possibilities.
In the document it said: “The council’s financial position requires the council to review its land and property assets, and the stadium is no exception.”