Plans have been approved to close Cornwall Council’s offices in Camborne and potentially convert the site into affordable or extra care housing. 

Cornwall Council’s cabinet committee has unanimously given the green light to shut its offices at Dolcoath Avenue after a study showed it would require investment of up to £6.4 million in repairs and alterations to the structure to continue using the building. 

Cllr David Harris, cabinet member for resources at the council, stated the site could be redeveloped to help meet the housing needs in the area. 

The decision was taken during a discussion on the on-going estate transformation programme.

An outline business case to significantly reduce the size of the estate, its costs and its carbon footprint while maintaining service delivery for residents was approved in July 2021. 

The cabinet meeting heard that a recent study has shown that the offices at Dolcoath Avenue now see occupancy running at around just 10 per cent of capacity, and costs around £500,000 a year to operate with business rates, cleaning, heating and lighting.  

Cllr Harris said: “As a cabinet we have to take some difficult decisions, and this was one that certainly required careful consideration. 

“We have to balance the need to provide core office space for our staff with the requirement to ensure we are providing value for money for our taxpayers. By closing the offices at Dolcoath Avenue in due course, we can reduce both our running costs and carbon footprint significantly. 

“We can also utilise our other facilities in the area, including Tolvaddon, Kresen Kernow and South Wheal Crofty to ensure there is no disruption to service delivery and to provide the essential office space our staff require for collaborative working. 

“If we are able to utilise the vacated site to provide affordable housing or extra care housing will be an ideal way to help address some of the housing issues in the area, and I look forward to working on those plans quickly.  I hope that we will create a new chapter for the area and benefit residents in the process.” 

The offices are to be demolished, but some councillors are ’nervous’ about the provision of services for people in mid-Cornwall.

Although not against the proposal, Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek, who represents Redruth South, aired her concerns about the closure.

She said: “I do have some concerns about the consequences of the closure in terms of the lack of clarity about where services will be delivered from.

“I understand from conversations with officers there are still decisions to be made on suitability of sites for some meetings and functions. This lack of clarity makes me and colleagues nervous as it is imperative that members of the public know exactly where the services they require will be based and they are easily accessible by public transport.

“For example, the report talks about planning committee and large meeting options being at Kresen Kernow, Heartlands and the Basset Centre in Camborne. I’m unclear whether the Basset Centre is actually fit and ready to be used. Are all these buildings, whatever are chosen, going to be ready for occupation when Dolcoath closes? We cannot afford to simply offer temporary venues if alternatives aren’t ready.”

She added: “We must have an agreed timeline on the programme and what will be built at Dolcoath. My preference – and I think I reflect what other colleagues within the area feel as well – is that we need extra care or supported housing which could potentially then free up some social housing that we have in the patch. I’m not against this proposal but I want to articulate the concerns that colleagues and I have.”