East Herts Council's customer service desk to move to Bishop's Stortford library
East Herts Council is moving its customer service desk in Bishop’s Stortford to the town’s library.
Currently, staff work at the authority’s Charringtons House office block, but the building is earmarked for demolition as part of the controversial Old River Lane scheme by the council's development partner, Cityheart.
The master plan is for a new public square, pedestrian-friendly streets, 150 new homes, 75 "extra care" dwellings, 1,000 square metres (10,764 sq ft) of retail space, 3,500 sq m (37,674 sq ft) office building and a landmark £15.5m cinema-led arts centre.
The proposals have prompted a raft of objections, not least because of the demolitions of Charringtons House and the United Reformed Church Hall in Water Lane as well as three homes in Old River Lane.
Initially, EHC's deputy leader and executive member for financial sustainability Cllr Geoffrey Williamson indicated the customer service desk would be moved to Bishop’s Stortford Town Council’s offices in Windhill when Charringtons House closes at the end of March.
However, council leader Cllr Linda Haysey, told the Indie that face-to-face help for the public would be offered at the library in the Causeway instead.
She said: “I know residents and businesses greatly value these services and we are pleased to have secured a location so easily accessible to all.”
Shutting the district council facilities in Charringtons House, ahead of its handover to Cityheart in the autumn, will save East Herts £29,000 a year.
Its Charringtons House reception is currently open from 10am to 2pm on Wednesdays and Fridays only. The opening hours at the library will remain the same. There is also a customer service desk at the council’s Hertford headquarters in Wallfields, open from 10am to 4pm Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Its customer service phoneline, 01279 655261, operates Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm, and a callback service to answer benefits, housing and planning queries is available via https://eastherts.bookinglive.com/.
While campaigners want Charringtons House to be refurbished and reused, the council contends the 1960s building is beyond economic repair and has suggested it could be used as a police training ground for anti-terrorist and hostage rescue operations before it is razed to the ground.
