Date given for 'official' opening of New Shire Hall after year-long pandemic delay

The official opening of the New Shire Hall, which was on hold because of the pandemic, will take place this week.

New Shire Hall, in Alconbury, is now the home and civic hub of Cambridgeshire County Council located on the site of the old RAF Alconbury.

It initially opened in 1938 and later transferred in 1942 to the United States Army Air Force.

Flying operations ceased in 1995, and most of the land, including the runway was sold in 2009 to a development company to become the new settlement of Alconbury Weald.

Councillor Stephen Ferguson (independent/ St Neots East & Gransden) said: “It is great that we can finally enjoy the New Shire Hall official opening.

“The building has been operational since last summer but due to the pandemic we haven't been able to celebrate our new centre of democracy.

“I am also looking forward to welcoming pupils from Alconbury C of E Primary School - these children are the future generation of Cambridgeshire, so it is fitting to include them as part of the ceremony.”

New Shire Hall has been purpose built with environmental credentials at its heart.

The car park has 11 electric car charging points installed, which enables up to 22 cars to be charged at any one time.

Solar panels are now in place on the roof of the building and these consist of 151 panels rated at 335 watts, providing a total array rating of 50 Kilowatts.

The total is predicted to produce in the region of 40,000 kWh of electricity each year.

During the construction, nearly two thirds of RG Carter employees who worked on the project were local, hailing from within 30 miles of the site – cutting travel and supporting local employment.

Nearly 100 per cent of all waste created by the project was also diverted from landfill.

Councillor Ferguson added: “Delivering net zero for the county council and the county is one of our biggest priorities, so it is only right that our civic centre should be designed and operating to a high environmental standard.

“Not only does it have an energy performance rating of A+ but it is also designed to save more than 70 tonnes of CO2e each year.

“The design and development of New Shire Hall embodies our commitment to achieving our targets, as well as providing an excellent ‘home’ for our staff and for services to thrive.”

The ceremony will comprise of a ribbon cutting and the unveiling of a plaque on Friday, 8 July 2022 at 11am.

The Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Julie Spence will be making a speech to mark the event, as will councillor Mac McGuire the former chair of the council.