WEST Devon borough council offices in Okehampton will be replaced by a one-stop shop in the centre of town next spring as part of a £3.7-million project to modernise facilities and services. The offices at Oaklands, which are deemed no longer suitable because the majority of the staff are peripatetic and spend much of their time ?on the road?, will be sold to fund part of the project. The scheme will be centred in Tavistock where the council?s headquarters at Kilworthy Park will see a major redevelopment, rationalising current office space and creating a substantial area for rental. Large office space which is in demand in Tavistock will be accommodated in a two-storey rear extension. There will also be new public meeting rooms, a new council chamber and customer services centre at the front. Corporate director of the council Lesley Halton said with the sale of Oaklands and the income from the large office spaces, currently in demand in Tavistock, the cost of the project would not fall on the taxpayer. She said: ?In Okehampton we have a totally unsuitable building for our purposes which is not easily accessible,? she said. ?The shop in St James Street, at the end of the arcade, will be for the public who want information on any of the council?s services such as housing, planning and environmental health.? The shop will be manned by six staff with the remainder of the Okehampton-based workers relocated to Tavistock. There will be no loss of jobs. ?Most of the officers at Okehampton are travelling staff and do not use Oaklands that much,? she said. ?Around a third of the council?s staff are peripatetic and for this reason we are looking at ?hot desking? in Tavistock where several people may use the same desk in one day, therefore minimising our own office space.? Mrs Halton said the project was very much a business development: ?We are able to change and modernise the way we do things at the same time creating space which we can rent out. ?Hot desking and electronic documentation will mean we do not have the need for the amount of office space we currently have, but what we do need is larger meeting rooms where we can fit the public in.? Experts have assessed the demand for large office space in Tavistock and have concluded there is a desperate need. ?We have already had enquiries from firms wanting to set up in Tavistock and therefore this project will provide extra jobs for the area,? added Mrs Halton.
