§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state, or give reference to any document describing, the full reasons why it is considered the best value for money to demolish the Government premises in Marsham street; what was the date of their completion; and what necessary work, and approximate cost, would be required to render them fit for office reoccupation.
§ Mr. HowardThe Government building at 2 Marsham street, which was first occupied in 1970, is in need of major repair. Because of the scale of necessary remedial work, a wide range of alternative options was reviewed, based on advice from Arup Associates. The options ranged from immediate repairs, through various levels of refurbishment to demolition. Demolition proved to be the best value for money, when the overall costs of each option were compared.
The repair option with the lowest initial cost consisted primarily of remedial work to concrete, replacement of windows and decoration of affected areas. It would involve a substantial programme of decanting staff for several years and would cost about £50 million, over and above routine maintenance and running costs. This would do no 367W more than keep the building going. Similar expenditure and further decanting would be required within 10 years to replace obsolete services and carry out further concrete repairs. Upgrading the building to allow greater use of modern office technology, more efficient energy consumption and better use of space would be more expensive still.