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Staff working at Hove Town Hall are set to get a new secure entrance as heightened security levels continue.
An application has been submitted for a new card-entry door system so staff can bypass the two public receptions to gain entry into the building.
At present, a security guard is stationed at the staff entrance during working hours to make sure no unauthorised people can get in.
A council spokesperson said: “The current security measures at the staff entrance were put in place as a temporary measure due to heightened security levels nationally.
“Staff accessing the offices in this part of the building find it to be highly beneficial but it is labour intensive and expensive to operate.
“The new proposal is fully accessible, automated and secure. The cost of providing this will be around £60,000 and the saving will be approximately £45,000 per year.”
If the plans are approved, the new door will be installed to the left of the current customer service entrance. A small chunk of the customer service reception will be given over to the entrance lobby, and an extension built under the first floor overhang.
The existing Hove Town Hall was built in 1974, after the original Victorian Gothic hall was destroyed in a blaze in 1966.
The 1970s building was designed by John Wells-Thorpe and extended in 1991 to house a registrar’s office, citizen’s advice bureau and tourist information centre.
In 2015, it underwent a major refurbishment, remodelling and extension to create new offices and commercial spaces, in part to accommodate a relocation of staff from Kings House, which has now been sold and is to be turned into luxury flats.
Will it be a revolving door. The question now is how do I get the Question Mark to work on my AZERTY Keyboard.
What an absurd waste of scarce resources
On the Euro hoof last night I was talking with a resident, from the Gardens dept., as was. He was telling me about the night the Town Hall burnt down.
Just for the record, the building was designed by Cedric Ellis and Burt Clayton, who worked for Wells-Thorpe. Following this project, they left and set up their own practice – Ellis & Clayton. They won several architectural design competitions and became tutors at the Brighton School of Architecture.