Cumbria House
Cumbria House
Cumbria House is located in Cumbria
Cumbria House
Cumbria House
Location within Cumbria
General information
Address107–117 Botchergate, Carlisle CA1 1RD
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates54°53′24″N 2°55′43″W / 54.8901°N 2.9287°W / 54.8901; -2.9287
Completed2016
Design and construction
Architect(s)Eric Wright Construction

Cumbria House is a municipal building in the Botchergate area of Carlisle, England. It is used by Cumberland Council.

History

Throughout much of the 20th century, the administration of Cumberland County Council had been carried out from the Courts in Carlisle.[1] After amalgamation with Westmorland County Council in 1974,[2] Cumbria County Council continued to use these facilities as well as a series of Victorian houses on Portland Square, Brunswick Street and Alfred Street North in Carlisle[3] together with Lonsdale House in Lower Gaol Yard in Carlisle.[4] In the early 21st century, as a cost-saving measure, council leaders decided to co-locate all council activities in a single building:[5] the site they selected had been occupied by a former retail unit which had been converted for residential use (107-109 Botchergate) and a medical treatment centre (113-117 Botchergate).[6][7][8]

The new building, which was designed by architects, AHR, and built by Eric Wright Construction, was completed in December 2016.[9][10] The design for the steel framed building involved a wide glass and steel main frontage facing Botchergate with the right hand section projected forward.[11][12] The footprint of the building, with the left hand section set back, was designed to create a forecourt in which people could safely protest without being at risk from road traffic.[11]

The new offices were built to accommodate some 700 staff and to act as a catalyst for urban regeneration in the Botchergate area.[11] Although the administrative offices of the County Council were at Cumbria House in Botchergate, formal meetings of the Council continued to be held at the County Offices in Kendal.[13] In July 2019, the environmental movement, Extinction Rebellion, held a demonstration in the forecourt outside the building.[14] In September 2022, it was decided that Cumbria House would become the new headquarters for Cumberland Council.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Small news". Cumberland & Westmorland Newspaper Archives. 18 January 1923. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. ↑ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
  3. ↑ "Ex-county council offices in Carlisle put up for sale". News and Star. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  4. ↑ "Going, going gone....Carlisle's county council offices are set for demolition". News and Star. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  5. ↑ "Plans for £10million council HQ submitted". ITV. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Office Building". Construction Index. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "Botchgate Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan" (PDF). 1 July 2012. p. 25. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Proposal to seek approval for an Integrated General Practice Specialty Registrar Post" (PDF). My Surgery. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Cumbria County Council new offices now complete". Eric Wright. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  10. ↑ "Eric Wright completes £10 million council HQ". Place North West. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 "First look inside Cumbria County Council's new £10.4m offices in Carlisle". News and Star. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  12. ↑ "Cumbria County Council Office". Glass Door. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "Full Constitution" (PDF). Cumbria County Council. 1 October 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  14. ↑ "March in Whitehaven to protest coal mine". Times and Star. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  15. ↑ "HQ decided for new Cumberland Council". Cumbria Crack. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
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