From Mike Bomford, Exeter 382173, April 23,2008

Barnstaple Civic Centre has been granted reprieve as Devon County Council finds funds to maintain the building for another 10 years.

The County Council, who own the 9 storey building, was considering demolishing the building after studies indicated that the building was too expensive to maintain; was not being used to its capacity; and is environmentally unsound.

The Council had said that they would look into the option of refurbishing the Civic Centre, but that any refurbishment or adaptation would likely to be costly.

The County and District Council had discussed the possibility of vacating the building and selling the land for redevelopment, making front line services available from a single, central point in the town and relocating back office services.

However, to first address the feasibility of keeping the 40 year old building, the County Council commissioned a full structural survey, which was conducted last October.

The outcome showed that with some initial investment for refurbishment, and ongoing maintenance, the building could provide another ten years service.

The County Council has been looking at all the buildings and land it owns in the Barnstaple area to assess the conditions of the properties, the associated maintenance costs and how suitable they are for the services they deliver.

The Council's overall aim is to reduce the amount of office floorspace the Council owns by 25% by 2011.

Now knowing the structural condition of the building, the Council has decided to keep the Civic Centre for the moment; to do what work is needed for it to meet health and safety legislation, and to use the space it provides more efficiently. Keeping the building in use will provide them with an opportunity to possibly release other more poorly performing, less efficient buildings, in the area.

The Leader of Devon County Council, Cllr Brian Greenslade, said:

"Love it or loathe it, the building has potential and life in it yet to help us provide better services for people in the area. Getting another ten years out of the building will be the most cost effective option and will give us, the District Council and other users of the building plenty of time to re-shape our services."