Darwin council looking for new CBD offices to house 175 staff

DARWIN council is on the lookout for new CBD offices to house 175 staff in the city centre

Darwin council is on the lookout for new CBD offices to house 175 staff in the city centre. Picture: Glenn Campbell

VACANT buildings in Darwin’s CBD will soon be home to the city council’s core services and library, with expressions of interest sought for the temporary relocation.

Council is looking for office space to house 175 staff in the CBD for two years, while its base at Civic Park on Harry Chan Avenue is upgraded.

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Darwin’s library, customer services and ranger bases will eventually be transferred to a permanent location in the Smith Street Mall.

In the meantime, the council is searching for a temporary 5000sq m space to house its core business functions, including administration, public functions, IT and operation of the Lord Mayor and CEO’s Offices, as well as 1000sq m for library services in the interim.

Acting chief executive Melissa Reiter said the temporary rental of office space in the CBD would provide financial certainty and inject significant funds into the local economy.

Ms Reiter said the Darwin Civic Centre upgrade was essential because maintenance costs were escalating,

“The Civic Centre has served us well for 52 years but is no longer meeting the requirements of the public or our staff,” she said.

“In addition, the building’s energy consumption is extremely high and the expense of repairs are becoming difficult to justify.

“The investment in the redevelopment of the Civic Centre will help transform our city, revitalise this public space and add greenery, colour and cooling to our CBD,” Ms Reiter said.

The recent sale of Darwin council’s Cavenagh Street carpark to Charles Darwin University for $14.6m will enable the progression of infrastructure projects across the city, including the Civic Centre, which will stimulate Darwin’s economy and create local jobs.

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“City of Darwin continues to be part of the $200m 10-year Darwin City Deal, which will deliver positive long term outcomes for local businesses and our community,” Ms Reiter said.

Expressions of interest close on August 6 at 2pm with council anticipating the move to occur as early as September.