Safety issues at Peterborough Town Hall mean all council meetings moved to Sand Martin House in Fletton Quays

Safety issues at Peterborough’s historic Town Hall have meant all meetings of the city council will now be held at the authority’s ‘new’ offices at Fletton Quays.

The move from the council’s chamber in the Bridge Street building to Sand Martin House will start in January.

The council said the changes have been made following a review of the current arrangements, the condition of the building and fire safety of the premises, specifically relating to the requirements for evacuation of large numbers of members of the public from the upper floor meeting spaces if a fire occurred, in particular those with needs that the council may not be aware of. This means these rooms are no longer suitable for public use.

In addition, work on the building will be needed next year following the discovery of RAAC. Officers are currently reviewing all options for the second floor and once the final surveys are completed a decision will be made.

Issues with the heating system, which make the meeting rooms very cold during the winter months, are also a reason for the decision.

Councillor Mohammed Jamil, Deputy Leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “As a public sector organisation, we have a duty of care for anyone who comes into our buildings and need to prove that the highest level of fire safety planning has taken place in case of a fire.

“A fire risk assessment has shown that it could potentially be difficult for us to handle a mass evacuation of members of the public from the upper floor public meeting rooms – especially as there could be many individuals with mobility needs, we are unaware of.

“In addition, we know that work will be needed to resolve the issues with RAAC on the second floor, and anyone who has attended a meeting at the Town Hall will know it can feel very cold.

“In contrast, Sand Martin House has a large ground floor meeting area that is easy to access and a lot warmer during the winter months.

“We are conducting further assessments into the Town Hall building – with an aim to making the changes needed to bring this building up to standard.”