New scheme is a compromise

The bill for the truncated version, which will have a smaller extension, is to be £18.9m.

This compares with the £15.4m (later revised to £16.5m) quoted earlier this year for the widely criticised Tory plans for a full-blown refurbishment and extension, which played a major part in losing them control of the council at the elections back in May.

But leaders of the joint Liberal Democrat and Labour administration, which now runs Salisbury District Council, defended their modified proposals in an interview with the Journal.

Council leader Paul Sample (Lib Dem) and his deputy, Labour's Steve Fear said their administration was doing its "best to sort out a mess" inherited from the Conservatives.

Cancelling the project would have rendered the council bankrupt, so the new administration had come up with a compromise aimed at providing improved accommodation for staff and overcoming public objections to the bulk of the original extension, which would have spilled over into the "Secret Garden."

Although their scheme was smaller, it was costing more because of inflation, rising building costs and an element of compensation paid to the contractors.

They also stressed that the £18.9m price tag was £800,000 lower than a figure estimated in July.

Cllr Sample said: "Our hands have been largely tied by the contracts signed before we took office. However, we have rolled up our sleeves and are working hard, in good faith, to sort the project out.

"Our policy is to listen to people's views and, having listened, we have acted accordingly. We are committed to reviewing the project and believe we are now in a position to progress with a revised scheme.

"The new scheme is a compromise. It will restore the original much loved Bourne Hill House to its former glory and safeguard the future of the Secret Garden. Above all, our plans will preserve for public use, the parkland around Bourne Hill."

Cllr Fear said: "We believe we have a scheme in place that meets the needs of the council and takes into account the views and concerns that people had over the original plans.

"The council may have only 16 months left but we want to leave a lasting legacy, which gives the people of south Wiltshire much needed public office accommodation and a fully restored historic building which it totally accessible for the first time."

He added: "We hope the new scheme will encourage the new Wiltshire Council to retain a major public presence in the city, safeguarding local jobs and services."

A planning application for the new scheme is likely to be submitted in February and there will be a full public consultation exercise before a decision is taken.

And during the consultation, the extension planned for the back of the Grade 11 listed building could prove a stumbling block with local residents - for although smaller, it is still a glass structure and three-storeys high.

If the new offices, which will accommodate up to 300 staff, get planning approval and listed building consent from the Secretary of State, building work will start next August and take about 15 months to complete.

Tories lambast price increase

ANGRY Tories accused Liberal Democrat and Labour members of misleading voters after the new administration was forced to ask for a budget increase of £2.4m this week for the Bourne Hill offices.

Plans to refurbish the offices and build an extension have been scaled down - but will now cost £18.9m instead of the £15.4 million price tag (later revised to £16.5m) placed on a larger scheme that the previous Tory administration agreed before losing the May elections.

And at Monday night's full council meeting, former Tory leader, Richard Britton, reminded the Liberal Democrats and Labour of how they had made the offices the major election issue and accused them of "political opportunism, dishonesty and financial incompetence."

"You accused us of building a £15m glasshouse.

"But you have replaced our £15m glasshouse with a £19m glasshouse," he declared. He also claimed the new scheme would put ten per cent a year on council tax. Current Tory leader Fred Westmoreland also waded into the joint administration.

"We consistently said the council could not afford to cancel the project and now this is something the current administration has learned - and now they are blaming us," he said.

Members of the administration hit back, saying that they had inherited the scheme from the Tories and were now trying their best to "sort out the mess."

Deputy leader of the council, Labour's Steve Fear said the administration had reviewed the Bourne Hill plans, consulted widely and come up with a modified version they believed would be in the best interests of the council, its staff and people of South Wiltshire. He said it was not the ideal solution but had they cancelled the project, the money already spent would have been transferred to revenue and that would have meant sweeping cuts in services.

Deputy portfolio holder for community and housing, Cllr Ian Tomes, said: "It wasn't this administration that signed the contract for the development, it wasn't this administration that wanted the project and it wasn't this administration that let the Bourne Hill building fall into such a state of disrepair."

Council leader Paul Sample said the new scheme would not have an impact on council tax.

The £2.4m increase in budget was approved by 29 votes to four.