Peterborough Town Hall needs long-term plan before £900k mitigation works carried out, say councillors
Peterborough city councillors have argued that a long-term plan is needed for the Town Hall building on Bridge Street before expensive repairs are carried out.
The authority's cabinet will meet on July 15 and are recommended to approve "urgent mitigation measures" worth around £900,000 for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) located on the second floor.
A cabinet report states that the mitigation measures would ensure the safety of the occupants using the space below, as the current floor construction (the roof of the original 1930s building) would not be strong enough to withstand falling RAAC panels.
While the council claims that the likelihood of RAAC collapse is unlikely, it admits that the implications would be “severe” if it were to happen, including a serious risk of fatality or serious injury to occupants below.
However, a council scrutiny committee met on July 10 and recommended to the cabinet that it delayed its decision on the works until a long-term plan for the building was established.
Councillor Polly Geraghty (Liberal Democrat) said: "It's difficult to approve something if you've got no idea what's going to happen afterwards.
"If you're going to spend close to £1 million on something for it to then just be mothballed, why are we bothering spending money that we don't have?"
Councillor Marco Cereste (Conservative) said: "In my view, it is the heart of our city and we've spent a lot of money in that area to increase the footfall.
"At the moment, none of us [councillors] are clear as to what the council's intentions are with that building.
"It's been there since 1933 and it would be a real shame to lose it."
Since January, all city council meetings have been held at the authority’s offices in Sand Martin House instead of the Town Hall due to the condition and fire safety of the historic building on Bridge Street.
Despite the issues on the second floor, other parts of the building have remained in use such as the chamber which is currently being used as a coroner’s court.
Co-opted member of the scrutiny committee, Nick Sandford, said: "If you just spend £900,000 without any long-term plan then you could argue what is the point?"
The cabinet report states: "If injury or fatality occurs because of a known structural risk, liability may fall to the council.
"This could result in litigation, regulatory enforcement, and substantial financial settlements.
"In addition to the risks identified above associated with a RAAC collapse, failure to undertaken appropriate interim/permanent remediation could result in additional legal challenges from occupiers/tenants of Town Hall due to an unnecessary risk position and failure to comply with the terms of the lease."
Cabinet members will take the scrutiny committee's recommendation into account when making a final decision on whether to go ahead with the RAAC mitigation works on July 15.
The authority has previously said that the program of works at the Town Hall were a “very complex issue” which it was working through to develop a “comprehensive plan”.