Ten years ago, the London Borough of Bexley moved home. Staff from five different offices across the borough relocated to new Civic Offices in the former Woolwich Building Society headquarters in Watling Street, Bexleyheath.

The empty building – something of a local landmark – was ‘recycled’ into an environmentally friendly working space. The Council’s ICT systems were comprehensively updated and a range of measures were introduced to provide a more modern, efficient and sustainable environment for customers, other visitors and those working in the building. The project was self-financing – through the sale of the other offices – and the new home has saved our taxpayers money by being more efficient.

Here, Councillor Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE – Leader of the Council both then and now – shares some of her memories from that time.

We had a fantastic proposal to build an iconic new Civic Offices on the site where the Magistrates Court is and, just as everything was being pulled together, the bottom fell out of the market in 2008. One of the first decisions I had to consider with my Cabinet was whether to put a sticking plaster over our existing buildings that were well past their sell by date or come up with a Plan C.

The sale of the old site (leasehold) and purchase of the new site (freehold), bringing everyone into the newly refurbished vacant Woolwich Building Society headquarters and in the process creating opportunities elsewhere in the borough, was our Plan C.

Walking into the derelict building (a much-loved building to local residents, known as the pizza hut as it’s the first thing you see of Bexleyheath as you drive up the A2) was a shock. There was a ‘Dallas style’ staircase right up the centre of the lobby area to the top floor that was quite imposing (and frightening to walk up and down), silks on the walls of the entrance lobby that had seen better days, a metal documentation filing system that took over the basement and ground floor areas, along with carpet that your feet sank into on the top floor, where the building society’s Chief Executive’s Offices and Boardroom were.

The renovation and refit took some time, with the project being named ‘Bexley First’. In addition to many visits to the building to track progress (I bought my own set of safety boots), we also had to consider such things as the fit out (colour schemes, chairs, etc.), being mindful of the need to be suitably civic but not extravagant, given this was our taxpayers’ money.

The topping out ceremony on the top of the new build (needed to house the Council Chamber) was quite scary as we had to go up ladders. When I reached the top, the photographer said, ‘Where do you want the photos taken Leader?’ to which I replied, ‘In the middle’.

Works progressed and the building was finally ready before the 2014 elections. However, I said it wouldn’t be right to move in before the elections, so we moved in the day after the elections that May.

The then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, officially opened the building. There was a fantastic buzz in the building that day, with the majority of staff witnessing the opening. The plaque on the wall was a replica of the original one that the Woolwich Building Society used when Princess Anne opened the original building. Both can still be seen at the entrance.

As a final comment on our old building, when the furniture from my old office was packed up to come over here, we left the dead mouse as the sole occupant there!”