7m revamp of new council hq to begin

Refurbishment works on Meath County Council’s new corporate headquarters - Buvinda House at Dublin Road, Navan - will get underway in the next few weeks.
The building is expected to accommodate the council’s 400 staff under one roof and will, the council says, deliver a more efficient service to the public, community groups and businesses in the county.
The council said the move from eight current locations occupied by the council in Navan to one central facility would bring annual cost savings of around €750,000.
Council chief executive officer Jackie Maguire said the new HQ will offer an excellent range of facilities for local businesses, community group and the public and result in significant savings.
“Instead of delivering services across eight locations - including rental premises - the council will now be a 'one-stop-shop’ for the people of Meath. The customer experience will be greatly enhanced and a higher quality service delivered to the public,” she said.
Following a competitive tender, the refurbishment works will convert the former Quinn Insurance building from a call centre to a local authority facility.
The successful tender price of the works was €7.2m, excluding VAT, and will be completed in less than a year, creating employment for 100 people locally.
The overall project cost, including the purchase of the building for €5.1m in 2013 and the refurbishment, will be completed for approximately 50 per cent of the cost of a similar new building on a greenfield site, the council says.