Bristol City Council has purchased the Aviva Investors office block for a sum of £18 million as part of its on-going £70 million office estate revamp. The 128,000 sq ft commercial property will be used as one of the two buildings used to house council staff currently spread throughout 35 separate properties in the city.
The council has ambitious plans for Bristol’s Redcliffe area
The acquisition of the office block, located at 100 Temple Street, is a step further for the council in its plan to house all admin staff in the same vicinity. It is thought that up to 2,000 staff members will be relocated to the newly purchased property, while Grade II listed building City Hall will house the remainder after £8 million worth of refurbishment works are completed to modernise the interior.
However, the refurbishment works are likely to take up to nine months as there is a great deal of work to be done. Plans currently in place include the creation of open plan office space, the installation of a café and the construction of an entirely new customer service point.
As such, 100 Temple Street will presumably become the new primary administration hub for the council – something which City Mayor George Ferguson believes will prove extremely profitable for both the council itself and its workers.
He says; “It makes complete sense for the council to vastly reduce the number of offices it currently owns or leases across the city and consolidate into a few core offices.
“The location of 100 Temple Street is very strategic, next to Temple Meads and the planned Metrobus interchange, as well as being right at the heart of our ambitious plans for Redcliffe and the whole Enterprise Zone area.”
Altogether, the council’s consolidation plans will reduce the amount of office space owned or rented in the city from 550,000 sq ft to 330,000 sq ft, although the conversion of an empty bonded warehouse in Cumberland Basin is currently being considered.
Do you think consolidating the amount of office space used throughout the city will prove to be a smart financial move for Bristol City Council, or will any gains be largely wiped out by the extensive cost of renovating and modernising City Hall?
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