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Monday 25 March 2019

Knowle relocation project: buildings about to bite the dust

How 'green' is the District Council's new build  HQ in Honiton?
Futures Forum: Green buildings in East Devon

Not as green as the old build HQ in Sidmouth:
Futures Forum: "A truly green alternative to EDDC's proposal"
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: saving energy costs - and challenging the justification to move

How much in danger is the new HQ?
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: how vulnerable is Honiton HQ builder? >>> Interserve goes into administration

Not much, according to the District Council: 

Interserve collapse 'will have no impact' on new council HQ

Interserve Construction Ltd were the contractor that East Devon District Council had used to build their new HQ in Honiton


East Devon District Council say the collapse of Interserve should not impact on their new Blackdown House HQ.

Interserve - one of the UK's largest providers of public services – went into administration last week after shareholders rejected a rescue deal for the company, which has 45,000 UK staff, and 68,000 globally. Interserve Construction Ltd were the contractor that East Devon District Council had used to build their new HQ in Honiton, which opened last month, but they have not ‘gone under’.


A council spokesman said that as a result, their contractors remain on site to work through the list of remedial works that need to be carried out on the £8.7m new building.

An East Devon District Council spokesman added: “We have kept a close eye on Interserve’s fortunes and we were sorry to hear that Interserve PLC has gone into administration. However, Interserve Construction Ltd did not go under and therefore the contractor can continue.

“East Devon took possession of its new headquarters Blackdown House in January 2019 and the building is operating well and at capacity since staff moved over fully in February. As with most new buildings it is generally the case that there is a list of remedial works to carry out and Interserve’s contractors are on site and working through the list. The council is monitoring these works closely, but for the moment we are on track with Interserve to finish off the list and meanwhile our new HQ is working well and fully open for business.”

The new Honiton Blackdown House HQ replaced the council’s former HQ at The Knowle in Sidmouth, while one third of the council staff are to be based at Exmouth town hall.

Shareholders of Interserve Plc on Friday voted 59.38 per cent against a rescue plan to address their mounting debt pile. The plan would have seen their stake reduced to just five per cent with lenders being handed the lion's share of the business.

However following the plan being rejected, Interserve said that in the absence of any viable alternative rescue plan it would formally apply to the High Court to go into administration. Administrators EY have been appointed under a so-called pre-pack administration, an insolvency procedure in which a company arranges to move its assets to a another owner before administrators are officially appointed.


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