Today's most viewed
£6m bill to halt Bourne Hill plan
THE ill-fated plan to extend Salisbury District Council's Bourne Hill offices could be dropped, despite £6m being spent on the project.
In the latest twist in the long-running saga over the future of the building, the council's city area planning committee approved an £18.9m makeover plan for The Council House on Thursday.
But that decision could be reversed tonight, when the implementation executive for the new unitary authority, which takes over next year, considers the plan.
The building contract for the development has already been signed, £4.65m has already been spent and a minimum of £1.35m would need to be allocated before the project could be halted.
Residents in the city mounted a fierce campaign last year to stop a more ambitious extension plan developed by the then Tory-run council, which would have included building over an area of open space known as the Secret Garden.
The ensuing row resulted in the ousting of the Tory administration, but not before the contracts for the work on The Council House were signed, days before the election.
Tory leader Fred Westmoreland said: "The contract was agreed some five months before the election and handed to officers to continue with the final negotiations."
Cllr Westmoreland said the signing of the contracts just before the elections was sheer bad timing and that, as early as 2004, the council was already committed to continuing with the project, which was to be paid for over 25 years, or to face bankruptcy.
The new Labour/Lib Dem administration that took over last year held a wide-ranging consultation, which saw more than 10,000 people responding to a survey on the project, with 53 per cent saying the original scheme should be modified.
The scheme was changed, but with a price tag £3m higher than the original, and a deed of variation to the building contract is due to be authorised by June 3.
The implementation executive, a 'shadow cabinet for the new authority', could decide to go-ahead with the plan as it is or it could decide to pull the plug on the entire project, and to simply refurbish the building.
Cllr Andrew Roberts, the district council's finance portfolio holder, said the county council has been aware of the situation and the district has offered to work with them towards providing a building of most use to the new unitary authority.
"It would be a terrible waste of public money (not to go ahead).
"Unfortunately it is something we inherited. Had they (the Tory administration) not signed this contract and decided to go ahead with this project early on, we would not be stuck with it.
"I am glad Wiltshire County Council are addressing the issue, but I am disappointed it has taken so long."
9:14am Thursday 22nd May 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: John Ellis, Farley, Salisbury on 4:14pm Thu 22 May 08
Today’s Journal, 22nd May, is full of politician’s attempts to pass the buck over some appalling financial decisions and it is time for them to prove the facts. We, the electorate, are entitled to know the whole truth; it is our money they are squandering.
If, as Cllr Westmoreland now explains, the signing of the Bourne Hill building contract was sheer bad timing, what does he mean? Was it the inevitable conclusion of a longwinded process and, if so, why was the contract signing unavoidable? Surely nothing is committed until the contract is signed. That needs explaining with evidence to prove it. Clearly, all the work done by consultants over a period was chargeable and perhaps some preparatory work by builders was too but public concern at the nature of the ‘glass’ building in that location was plainly evident as soon as the design was published. Was that not the time to put everything on hold?
Despite the reservations many of us have over the actions of the former administration, it does not excuse the shabby electioneering by the new administration, promising to stop the building despite being aware that it could not do so without heavy compensation. It is no good them denying that; I have it in writing from a senior member of the Council staff, an extract from which was included in a letter to Postbag a while ago. The result now is a compromise solution costing some £3million more to produce.
Meanwhile a solution offered, to use a relatively modest sum to modify the defunct Wilton Middle School for all the backroom staff, was reported as investigated but no report could be produced. That suggested nothing was done by the staff to obstruct moving to Wilton! The perfectly feasible plan saw video links to very accessible inquiry desks in the Guildhall to give quick answers to the public. The listed Bourne Hill building would then be restored for ceremonial use by the Registrar, the Council Chairman and the Mayor. If anyone can prove otherwise let them come forward and prove it. The fact is that the bulk of Council staff do not need to be in the city or near the shops.
The news in the Journal front page report today is monstrous and what a mess is revealed behind the Bourne Hill buildings. The means used by the politicians now in power, the writers of the top letter in Postbag, to achieve power is characteristic of deviousness and immorality unless they can prove I am wrong.
Today’s Journal, 22nd May, is full of politician’s attempts to pass the buck over some appalling financial decisions and it is time for them to prove the facts. We, the electorate, are entitled to know the whole truth; it is our money they are squandering.
If, as Cllr Westmoreland now explains, the signing of the Bourne Hill building contract was sheer bad timing, what does he mean? Was it the inevitable conclusion of a longwinded process and, if so, why was the contract signing unavoidable? Surely nothing is committed until the contract is signed. That needs explaining with evidence to prove it. Clearly, all the work done by consultants over a period was chargeable and perhaps some preparatory work by builders was too but public concern at the nature of the ‘glass’ building in that location was plainly evident as soon as the design was published. Was that not the time to put everything on hold?
Despite the reservations many of us have over the actions of the former administration, it does not excuse the shabby electioneering by the new administration, promising to stop the building despite being aware that it could not do so without heavy compensation. It is no good them denying that; I have it in writing from a senior member of the Council staff, an extract from which was included in a letter to Postbag a while ago. The result now is a compromise solution costing some £3million more to produce.
Meanwhile a solution offered, to use a relatively modest sum to modify the defunct Wilton Middle School for all the backroom staff, was reported as investigated but no report could be produced. That suggested nothing was done by the staff to obstruct moving to Wilton! The perfectly feasible plan saw video links to very accessible inquiry desks in the Guildhall to give quick answers to the public. The listed Bourne Hill building would then be restored for ceremonial use by the Registrar, the Council Chairman and the Mayor. If anyone can prove otherwise let them come forward and prove it. The fact is that the bulk of Council staff do not need to be in the city or near the shops.
The news in the Journal front page report today is monstrous and what a mess is revealed behind the Bourne Hill buildings. The means used by the politicians now in power, the writers of the top letter in Postbag, to achieve power is characteristic of deviousness and immorality unless they can prove I am wrong.
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
