Proposal to move county council offices to new carbon-neutral offices

Proposals to move Oxfordshire County Council’s headquarters from New County Hall on New Road to a refurbished Speedwell House campus on Speedwell Street in Oxford are to be considered by the authority’s cabinet later in the year.

After extensive and independent evaluation, and consideration by the cross-party cabinet advisory group on city centre accommodation, it’s proposed the council moves its Oxford headquarters from County Hall to a reimagined Speedwell House campus in two to three years’ time. It is envisaged that the Speedwell Street offices would be an exemplar for carbon-neutral green offices.

The sale or lease of New County Hall would potentially generate significant income, some of which would be invested in the refurbishment of Speedwell House, which is already owned by Oxfordshire County Council.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We are still finalising a lot of detail and these plans will evolve and develop over the next two to three years before we make this move.

“A final decision will need to be taken by our cabinet in due course. We do, however, want people to understand the direction that we are heading in.

“The move would present value for money for the taxpayer as well as keeping to our principle of putting climate change at the heart of everything we do. This is in line with our overall property strategy and the best way to utilise our offices overall, rationalising where necessary.”