As part of the county council’s building rationalisation, later today, most of the council staff at 46 Clwyd Street (the front of Yr Hen Garchar/Old Gaol) move out from their Rhuthun/Ruthin offices to alternative premises at Caledfyn, Ffordd yr Efail, Dinbych.
And the council has recently bought out the property maintenance firm running County Hall. Some put the price at £17mil. If that sounds expensive, over the remaining life of the building, the council would be paying far more in fees.
It affects 47 staff in the council’s communications, marketing and leisure departments. That’s 47 people who, unless they live in town, will henceforward be spending their cash other than here. If they each only spend about £3 per day on sandwiches and crisps, based on a five-day working week with four weeks' holiday, that's over £30,000 lost to the local economy. At least it isn't going far away.
It's understood that the council will try to sell or let for possible use as an hotel, though the conversion costs for a listed building will be high. There's certainly plenty of parking beyond the rear locked gates. Alternatively, the building may become go to a professional company such as consultants or architects. It seems it is this niche to which 46 Clwyd Street is best suited, for those who want or need offices with character. If successful, this will result in replacement town income of equally high or higher worth.
If.
The council already has the 5,078 sq ft Tŷ Nant, Prestatyn, on the rental market. Of course, Tŷ Nant is a much bigger building (formerly part of the Rhuddlan borough portfolio). This was vacated in the autumn of 2013 and it is to let at £40,000 p.a. The council is searching for a buyer for the Lôn Ganol site (a former secondary school) in Dinbych. The council is not the only organisation drawing in, it seems.
Then again, regarding 46 Clwyd Street, you just never know. Who'd've expected The Anchor to come back into use. Who'd've thought that anyone to occupy the "impressive modern offices" vacated in 2012 by the council. We refer to Trem Clwyd. Jones Bros did, as its headquarters. It has progressively moved from its 1970 Lôn Cae Bricks premises, including more staff late last year, leaving its former premises largely for plant, storage & maintenance, training & workshops. Jones Bros now has virtually the whole premises whereas previously it was just over half-occupied.
It was the 1993 agricultural offices that the people of Rhuthun felt at last gave some permanency to the government agricultural department in the town, this after years of speculation. This was originally to be a three-storey building but the crown estate settled on two. In 1994, there was even more optimism, as MAFF's ADAS executive agency's north- and mid-Wales portion of the new Farmline telephone consultancy operated from there. But it was soon after construction that the Welsh Office declared it surplus, making many of its workforce redundant and some working from home. It found new occupiers in 1998, two years after the creation of Sir Ddinbych/Denbighshire at a time when Denbighshire itself had little suitable accommodation of its own. During Denbighshire's ownership, it was from time to time used for education, regeneration staff and planners. It passed to Jones Bros in November 2013 and they renamed it the somewhat kitsch Tŷ Glyn after the late co-founder, Glyn Jones (Tŷ Glyn Jones might've been better).
46 Clwyd Street was the former old (pre-1974) Denbighshire premises, housing highways staff.
And the council has recently bought out the property maintenance firm running County Hall. Some put the price at £17mil. If that sounds expensive, over the remaining life of the building, the council would be paying far more in fees.
Within the lobby of 46 Clwyd Street
It's understood that the council will try to sell or let for possible use as an hotel, though the conversion costs for a listed building will be high. There's certainly plenty of parking beyond the rear locked gates. Alternatively, the building may become go to a professional company such as consultants or architects. It seems it is this niche to which 46 Clwyd Street is best suited, for those who want or need offices with character. If successful, this will result in replacement town income of equally high or higher worth.
If.
The council already has the 5,078 sq ft Tŷ Nant, Prestatyn, on the rental market. Of course, Tŷ Nant is a much bigger building (formerly part of the Rhuddlan borough portfolio). This was vacated in the autumn of 2013 and it is to let at £40,000 p.a. The council is searching for a buyer for the Lôn Ganol site (a former secondary school) in Dinbych. The council is not the only organisation drawing in, it seems.
Sign of economies: the Prestatyn cash office is replaced by a machine
Then again, regarding 46 Clwyd Street, you just never know. Who'd've expected The Anchor to come back into use. Who'd've thought that anyone to occupy the "impressive modern offices" vacated in 2012 by the council. We refer to Trem Clwyd. Jones Bros did, as its headquarters. It has progressively moved from its 1970 Lôn Cae Bricks premises, including more staff late last year, leaving its former premises largely for plant, storage & maintenance, training & workshops. Jones Bros now has virtually the whole premises whereas previously it was just over half-occupied.
46 Clwyd Street was the former old (pre-1974) Denbighshire premises, housing highways staff.