The reason the council is spending £250k on Cleethorpes Civic Offices when it is for sale
The council is spending a quarter of a million pounds on Cleethorpes Civic Offices - despite the fact that it is up for sale.
North East Lincolnshire Council officially began marketing the former Civic Offices this summer, for £1.5m. The last council workers that used the building shifted over to Grimsby in February.
It is because only the Civic Offices are up for sale that £250,000 restoration works are required. The works are above all to separate it from the adjoining Cleethorpes Town Hall, which is not for sale.
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A corridor links the two buildings currently and there is no clear external distinction between the two. The separation of them will involve separating the electrics and the installation of a standalone fire alarm system for the town hall.
There will also be boundary fencing put in between the two buildings, which is in keeping with the town hall's Grade II listed status. The project was put out to tender between July and late August, under the title 'Property Rationalisation Civic Offices'. The awarded contractor is yet to be confirmed.
Indicative contract start and end dates suggest the works will happen over autumn and winter, from October 21 to January 27. The contract states it will involve "minor demolition works and reinstatement of an element of the historic facade". This includes repairs to historic ironwork.
The Civic Offices are being marketed as with potential for hospitality or residential use, among possible alternative uses. The sale is part of a wider sell-off scheme that began in 2023. The council has termed it property rationalisation as it looks to reduce the number of buildings it owns, to reduce operational costs and help make easier to achieve its target of being net zero by 2030.
Funds from the sell-offs are intended for transformational activities in children's services and other areas.