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Denbighshire County Council has announced that it is taking steps to reduce the amount of office accommodation that it owns.

The decision follows the leasing of offices in Brighton Road, Rhyl last year, which now provide accommodation for most social services and housing staff. As a result, the council has a surplus of office buildings.

At its meeting on 15 July, the Cabinet approved a strategy for rationalising the core office accommodation by consolidating offices in buildings which offer the best value, producing office accommodation that is fit for purpose in a rapidly changing environment.  Factors taken into account include the size of maintenance backlogs and running costs at each site as well as potential development values.

As part of the strategy, the intention is to relocate staff away from sites at Henllan and Middle Lane in Denbigh and to declare those properties surplus to their current portfolio requirements. Consultation is being undertaken with services on the future location of activities presently undertaken at Henllan and Middle Lane, and staff are also being consulted.

As part of the changes, the Cabinet also approved a strategy for the co-location of education services at Trem Clwyd, Ruthin and the development of a satellite education office in Rhyl. These changes will deliver a commitment in the action plan for improvement of education services, and are expected to be implemented in the summer of 2009.

Final decisions have not yet been taken on future use of the two sites that would be vacated. Both sites are located within development boundaries and are not subject to any specific designation in the unitary development plan. The likely recommendation is for disposal for development in order to provide capital receipts for investment in essential assets such as roads and in modernisation of schools. Any proposal for development could include elements to address other council strategies, such as the provision of extra care housing for elderly people or people with learning disabilities, and would be subject to public consultation under the usual arrangements for planning applications. Any proposal for housing development would have to include affordable housing in line with the council's planning policies.

Commenting on the review, Councillor Paul Marfleet, the lead member for modernisation and improvement, said: "We have to reduce the amount of office accommodation that we occupy to match present and future requirements and to reduce operating costs. As part of our efficiency strategy, we are implementing a process called WorkSMART at all our buildings, starting with Caledfryn in Denbigh next summer. This will ensure more effective use of space in our buildings, introducing more flexible working for staff and making best use of technology.

"It will mean that more staff can be based at offices such as Caledfryn than now: indeed, in broad terms, it might accommodate as many extra staff as are presently located at Middle Lane. The overall consequences of the office changes for the economy of the town will be assessed but should be positive as a result of more staff being accommodated at Caledfryn and of benefits arising from alternative uses of the Middle Lane site. We will roll out the WorkSMART approach to other office buildings over time and this may mean that we will declare more of them as surplus to requirements in due course.

"Following the Cabinet's approval of the broad strategy earlier this month, I will be taking a further report to Cabinet in September to seek detailed decisions on the way forward."