Cost of work on Omagh HQ doubles after fresh report

THE price-tag for replacement windows at the council’s headquarters in Omagh has now more than doubled to nearly £1 million.

Earlier this year, the UH reported how the local authority planned to spend £400,000 on triple glazing for its offices at The Grange.

However, since then, a consultant’s report has uncovered additional issues with windows in the building, to the extent that it will now cost approximately £800,000 to carry out the appropriate repair work.

Council officials have branded the historic building – which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary – as being ‘unfit for purpose’.

According to the council, the repairs are required so that the building adheres to health and safety regulations governing staff accommodation.

But the TaxPayers’ Alliance has urged the council to look for ‘cheaper alternatives’, describing the proposed £800,000 expenditure as leaving rate-payers ‘cold’.

Conor Holohan, media campaign manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said, “While festivities are being slashed, the council spares no expense on keeping warm in the winter.”

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“Town hall bosses should look for cheaper alternatives to this plan.”

Councillors are due to make a decision on whether to proceed with the plan when they meet next week.

They have been told that when the scheme is completed, it will result in annual energy savings of £9,000.

That means it will take nearly a century – 88 years to be exact – for the overall costs to be paid back.

It is currently planned that work will start in January completed by August, if the scheme is given the go-ahead.

Dozens of employees based at the Grange could be re-located to the Connect Centre on High Street, Omagh Leisure Complex or local community centres during the duration of the project.

The council’s chief executive, Alison McCullagh has described The Grange as “one of our main civic buildings that is currently not fit for purpose.”

At a recent meeting of the regeneration and community committee, she also conceded that the council ‘must learn’ from its initial internal examination of the windows which failed to identify the extent of the problems.

“The key is that The Grange is one of our main civic buildings and the building is, unfortunately, not fit for purpose. We need to make it fit for purpose,” Ms McCullagh stated..

The £400,000 initially allocated to the window replacement scheme was included in the council’s budget for 2023/2024. A similar figure will now have to be included in the budget for the following year, 2024/2025.

The report which identified the new problems was carried out by a Building Surveyor Consultancy.

It concluded that among the additional issues found were evident defects around the window reveals, sills and heads and that the replacement of the windows alone would not resolve the problem.

Councillors have been told that The Grange has the third worst performance in terms of heating-related energy intensity.

Omagh Town DUP councillor, Errol Thompson, said it was vital in this post-Covid era that staff are comfortable in their offices, while Sinn Fein’s Barry McElduff called for the examination of external funding opportunities to help pay for the work.

However, Sinn Fein councillor, Sheamus Green, questioned why the defects had not been identified in the initial examination. He said that lessons needed to be learned for the future.

Fermanagh-based Ulster Unionist councillor, Diane Armstrong, called for a review of the council’s estate, and asked for information about the re-sale value of the building.

A spokesperson for Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said that the council’s decision requires ratification at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 7.

“It would not be appropriate to provide any further comment until the council has agreed a course of action,” they added.