Based on dubious energy saving calculations over the next 20 years, the EDDC relocation fiasco will cost the council taxpayer over £10m.
Where is the viability for a new headquarters building, when the capital value upon completion will be worth a fraction of the costs, compared with the increasing land value at the Knowle?
The design of the new building itself is about as inspiring as a telephone exchange or, say, the Premier Inn around the corner from the Heathpark site. The EDDC staff, who have indicated they would prefer to remain in the present park setting in preference to relocating to a industrial estate, claim the new building is too small. According to the drawings, the council chamber configuration will struggle to accommodate a session of the full EDDC council and the senior officers. Located to the rear of the first floor, the public access to the chamber is poor compared with the current premises.
Underwritten by us all, the plans for this expensive ego trip are ‘unfit for purpose’ even before a brick is laid and it is likely the loans will still need repaying long after the district council seizes to exist.
Graham Cooper,
Sidmouth
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