Ex-Water HQ Seeks Tenant As Costs Mount

An empty office building - formerly home to Northern Ireland Water (NIW) - has cost the taxpayer well over £35,000 in the last five months - just to secure and maintain.

But, the passage of the Stormont Executive's controversial four-year budget last week may see the former headquarters of the beleaguered official water provider being re-occupied - by another Government department.

The prestigious office block, Northland House, on the northern edge of Belfast city centre in Frederick Street, has been left vacant for over five months and has cost over £6,000 per month just to heat and maintain - while empty.

The news came weeks after it emerged that NIW had paid out more than £3m in legal fees in just over three years, with the focus on its former HQ now unwelcome.

A Department of Finance and Personnel spokeswoman has confirmed the monthly costs since the building was abandoned at the end of September as a whopping £6,200 - just for the maintenance and upkeep of the now empty office block - off York Street. That means maintenance costs already add up to over £36,000.

Asked about its future, she said: "The building was identified as potentially surplus over a year ago," noting "detailed plans for an alternative use of the building have been completed".

Now that the Executive budget has been agreed - and each department knows its financial position - it has emerged that Stormont Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson hopes to 'sign-up' a tenant - possibly the Department For Social Development - soon.

In a statement personally cleared by the DUP Minister, his department said, "another Government department expressed an interest in the building as part of a wider project that was then under consideration".

Immediately prior to this week's budget deal the statement concluded: "No decision will be made on the 'end state' of the building until departmental budgets have been confirmed."

With funds allocated, the take-over couldn't come soon enough as the building continues to rack up further major costs at a time of significant austerity.

The news doesn't directly affect NI Water, but that Government-owned agency has already been facing further criticism after being forced to defend its legal fees - insisting that they reflect the varied and complex nature of the operations it undertakes.

The figures were revealed in answer to an Assembly question from the SDLP MLA, John Dallat.

The legal bill at Northern Ireland Water is close to £1m in this current financial year and were close to half a million pounds in 2007/8, more than twice that the following year, and around £800,000 last year. When this year's figures are included, the total is around £3.3m.

See: Ex-NI Water Offices Lie Vacant As Fees Mount

(BMcC/GK)