Peterborough City Council unable to confirm full extent of Town Hall issues as work timescale remains unknown

A Peterborough City Council spokesperson says the authority is not yet in a position to share results from a survey carried out on the Town Hall building.

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.

This specifically related to requirements for evacuating large numbers of people from the upper floor meeting spaces as well as the discovery of RAAC.

At the beginning of March, deputy council leader Mohammed Jamil said that surveys and reviews were being carried out on the second floor at the Town Hall and he anticipated to have results back in six to eight weeks.

More than two months later, the council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it was “not yet in a position to share the survey results”.

The authority said that the program of works were a “very complex issue” which it is working through to develop a “comprehensive plan”.

Councillor Jamil said: “We are continuing to develop a program of works which will include RAAC mitigation, as well as other works required.”

The council chamber at the Town Hall will not be back in use for public meetings until the program of works has been completed, which will also address accessibility issues for public use.

Millions have been spent on refurbishment works at Peterborough Town Hall in the past, including works in 2021 to enable the letting of space to Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

More than 1,000 council staff moved into the Sand Martin House offices in 2018.

Sand Martin House is part of the Fletton Quays development in Peterborough which saw brownfield sites, derelict land and vacant buildings transformed into a prime riverfront area.