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The council made a decision in May to move out of the Castlewood premises gradually and to release the site for development. This decision was made as part of a review of the council’s use of office space to enable new ways of working flexibly, and to reduce costs and the council's carbon footprint.
In the council’s Development Sites consultation earlier in the summer, 63 per cent of respondents were in support of a redevelopment, with the delivery of affordable housing identified as a top priority.
Cllr Ash Cartman, Executive Member for Corporate Services said: “The redevelopment of Castlewood will provide homes and jobs that meet the needs of our communities, while also helping deliver current government targets for housing supply.
“We no longer need two large office buildings and our ambition to use our office space more efficiently has sped up since the pandemic and the introduction of home working among our colleagues.
“Funds generated will help to deliver other priorities such as improvements to schools, transport or leisure facilities.”
Progress has been made since May through a package of technical, planning and development workstreams, alongside soft market testing and preplanning engagement as part of preparing an outline business case for the development of the site.
Following completion of this work, North Somerset councillors will be asked to agree at their meeting on Tuesday 10 January that the preferred way forward for the site is a residential-led development based on demolition of the existing building.
The preferred option of demolition and new build will result in a financial benefit of £6.5m over a 10-year period and outperforms other options both in terms of sustainability and placemaking.
It will also contribute towards the delivery of much-needed housing, including affordable housing, for the town, and is proposed to include small-scale employment uses.
Councillors will also consider a commissioning plan for the selection of a developer for the site. This recommends that the council should look to retain some control over the nature and delivery of the development through a Development Agreement.
The meeting to discuss Castlewood takes place at 6pm on Tuesday 10 January at the Town Hall in Weston-super-Mare. It will be broadcast on YouTube at https://youtu.be/lK4oCSvpdoc. The meeting agenda is available on the council's website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/meetings.