Derbyshire County Council considers fate of Grade II listed landmark offices

Derbyshire County Council (DCC) has been consulting with its employees to determine the best way of utilising its properties in light of post pandemic working practices, including the Grade II listed County Offices, as part of its Modern Ways of Working (MWOW) scheme.

A DCC spokesperson said: “We have been progressing our Modern Ways of Working programme over the last few months and a lot of work is going into looking at the buildings and space we use across the county and how we can use our assets more efficiently and effectively in the future.

“The work includes getting views from our staff as we take a more flexible approach to office-based working and getting a clearer idea of how much administrative space we may or may not need in the months and years ahead.

“A major part of this work concerns the future of County Hall and how best to maximise its use and secure its future, recognising the importance of this iconic building as a major part of Matlock’s history and local economy.”

The fate of the former Smedley’s Hydro building, which has not been used to full capacity for some time, has long since been debated by officers and local people alike.

However the rise in home working as a result of Covid has emphasised the under use of the property, bringing further into question how the council can afford to maintain such an extensive historic building.

The spokesperson continued: “At County Hall even on our busiest days we are only using a proportion of our office and desk space.

“There are obviously high costs involved in maintaining such a large building and it is not efficient to do this if it is not being used to its full capacity.

“Therefore we are currently considering what options are feasible and practical.

“When we have considered these potential options over the coming months we will formulate more of a detailed plan which we will be able to share for discussion with staff and the wider community.”