WEST Devon is likely to move the majority of its office accommodation to Tavistock after the closure of its Oaklands site in Okehampton. Concentrating most of the office facilities at Kilworthy Park, opening a new customer service shop in Okehampton and harnessing ?a modern way of working? would be the most cost-effective way forward, councillors decided at a policy and resources meeting last week. Making use of new technology, such as video links, and using existing meeting space, such as the town council chamber, were among ideas suggested to save money and allow the public access to meetings. It was recommended that a second building be erected at Kilworthy Park, including a larger council chamber and additional meeting rooms. Cllr Roger Mathew said he would be ?reluctant? to have another council chamber built just in order to accommodate some public attendance once a month. He suggested use of video links. But Cllr Dilwyn Hughes said: ?We are a democracy and if people want to come to meetings they should have adequate facilities.? Officers had previously made efforts to secure a partnership arrangement to occupy the police station in Okehampton ? but the total sum of this project was estimated to be more than £800,000. Now councillors are considering locating the new customer service facility either in Okehampton town centre or on the Old Mill site. Cllr Jayne Hill said: ?We are at the point to bite the bullet and do something quite radical and it?s important we can afford to do it. There must be something central in town where people from the area can access West Devon. ?The Old Mill site is not very central ? there?s nothing else there. Currently it?s not the best place, even though we own the land. ?My suggestion is to open a shop like West Devon Homes. They have a successful office and there?s no reason why we can?t do it; it needs to be high profile within the town.? Cllr James McInnes said a new town centre base must also provide a better service. ?It is a most important thing for the people of the Okehampton area that we are taking away one of the two bases in West Devon. ?It is essential that we do have enough officers in Okehampton to maintain a good service in the Okehampton area,? he said. Committee vice-chairman Cllr Peter Hill agreed that a main street site was essential. ?Okehampton is growing and should not be ignored. ?We must look to modern technology and train up staff in a whole different work approach to meet the needs of people who may still be 20 miles away from Okehampton.? West Devon has appointed agents to negotiate best terms for disposal of the Oaklands site to avoid the increasing costs of operating the building ? around £100,000 per annum to maintain the building and provide adequate integration with the Tavistock office. Councillors also voted to be ?proactive in the negotiation of relocating tenants? on the Oaklands site who have been asked to vacate their premises by next July. Cllr Ken Williams said: ?They are small, successful clean and tidy units. Light industrial units are just what Okehampton needs. We should help in any adjustment of circumstances.? It was agreed that meetings that had a bias for Okehampton or Tavistock areas would still be held in the most relevant location. The recommendation to close Oaklands will be discussed by various working parties before returning to the policy committee for further discussion.
