Work involves the demolition of the existing listed council building in Market Place, originally constructed in the 1860s, and the delivery of 24,000 sq ft of contemporary office space.
The new building will have three floors to the front and two to the rear. It will house the Social Care and Education Culture and Sport departments currently based elsewhere in the town. It will be clad in timber to the rear, with stone and glazing to the frontage, and will also have a clock face.
Morgan Sindall, which has an office in Inverness, will also undertake the refurbishment and restoration of the adjoining curved Stafford Place Buildings, built in the 1820s. The listed façade, which forms part of the High Street, will be preserved following consultations with Historic Scotland.
Morgan Sindall area director Neil Duncan said: “This project signals the beginning of a major transformation of Wick, and we are pleased to be working with The Highland Council to deliver this significant development. Whilst the building will be modern in design, it will complement Stafford Place and provide a high standard of office accommodation to best meet 21st century working needs.
“A project of this size will have a big impact on the local economy and we always look to support the communities in which we work. We will be aiming to appoint a number of local sub-contractors and, in turn, recruit apprentices from the area during the 18 month project.”
The council’s project manager, David Sutherland, said: “The development has been a long time in the planning and will deliver a state of the art facility for the council to do its business with its customers, whilst ensuring efficient use of resources both in buildings and staff. The location is central to maintaining not only the viability of the town centre but also that of neighbouring businesses that depend on council staff for much of their trade.”
The offices are due for completion in autumn 2014. The project aims to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent through the use of a range of sustainable elements including the use of a biomass boiler.
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