Council accommodation moves to save $100m

Auckland Council is in the process of reducing the number of its council buildings in the central city from seven to three to save money and create more efficient and productive work spaces.

The council purchased the former ASB Tower at 135 Albert Street in July 2012 for $104m and staff are presently moving in. The move to 135 Albert Street results in savings of about $2.7m a year over the next 10 years. Over the next 20 years, the savings will be over $100m.

A decision on future accommodation had to be made as leases on rented buildings were coming up for renewal.

Purchasing 135 Albert Street was the cheapest of all options examined, which included staying in existing buildings, building a new building or purchasing an alternative existing building.

Savings are being realised through exiting leases on rented offices, operational efficiencies, better utilisation of space and reduced time travelling between offices. Staff productivity and effectiveness are also expected to improve as teams and groups work more closely together.

In the long term, approximately 2400 staff will be accommodated in 135 Albert Street, including space for elected members.

Some departments that were in Bledisloe House have already moved to 135 Albert Street, enabling staff in rented office space, such as on Hereford Street, to move to Bledisloe House or Albert Street.

As part of the current work to upgrade Bledisloe Lane, the customer services centre and reception presently in the ground floor area of the Civic Administration Building will be moved into the ground level of Bledisloe House.

These works sit within existing renewal budgets.

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