Conwy council staff preparing for move to Colwyn Bay in new year

Conwy Council staff are gearing up to move from Bodlondeb to Colwyn Bay when the council HQ is transformed into a business centre – but the handover won’t happen until the new year.
The council announced in the summer that it will lease Bodlondeb, where it has been based since its inception in 1996, to Ideas Forums to raise much-needed funds.
The Cardiff-based company hopes to use the Grade-II listed building as a “world-class business centre” and platform for entrepreneurs.
The council will then centralise staff at its £58m flagship Coed Pella building in Colwyn Bay.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has been told contracts are yet to be exchanged and instead that the handover process is “ongoing”.
Conwy Council said: “The transfer of Bodlondeb to a third party through a long lease will not take place until 2025.”
Then, approximately 230 staff contractually based at Bodlondeb will move, with the majority re-locating to Coed Pella, and nine staff members moved to Eryl Wen in Llandudno.
It is understood that many of these staff also work from home for a proportion of the week.
The council says it will offer its furniture and equipment to other offices where it can be recycled.
A council spokeswoman said staff hadn’t yet been informed of when the move would take place.
“We’re currently planning the approach, and we’ll discuss with staff in due course,” she said.
She added: “The Project Board is overseeing the exit strategy for Bodlondeb Offices, where there will be a phased approach to moving teams over from Bodlondeb to Coed Pella.
“In preparation for the move, we’ve been decluttering, providing information sessions for affected staff, and issuing staff updates.
“The Project Team is currently looking at the floor layouts and zones in Coed Pella, and every effort is being made to minimise disruption.”
The council also confirmed that more than 120 pay-and-display car parking spaces will likely be lost.
The spokeswoman added: “The car park on the left of the building is included in the lease. Site plans are published here: www.conwy.gov.uk/bodlondeb-offices.”

By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter