Newport Civic Centre Office Relocation Under Consideration 2026

Key Points

• Proposals will ask Newport City Council’s Cabinet to endorse the strategic principle that the functions of the council’s main office should be relocated from the Civic Centre.
• The proposals will give permission for further detailed investigation into the possibilities of alternative accommodation; it does not involve the selection of a new building, site, or budget.
• An independent initial appraisal revealed that the Civic Centre is larger than required by the council and needs considerable investment to continue operating as its main operational base.
• The cost of achieving the adequate condition of occupied premises of the Civic Centre is estimated by the council as £102 million.
• Estimated costs of alternative accommodation schemes range from £26 million to £81 million. It is stated by the council that these are comparative estimates only and not budget estimates.
• Civic Centre has the floor space of about 24,000 square meters and average occupancy of about 270 persons per day.
• Cabinet is not being asked to approve sale or disposal of the Civic Centre or immediate change of accommodation arrangements of staff.
• It is not decided at this point how democratic and civic functions should stay at the building and what is its future use.

Newport City Council (Wales Times) October 9, 2026 — uk/local/newport/newport-council/">Newport City Council is considering whether to move its main office functions out of the historic Civic Centre, after an initial independent review concluded that the Grade II* listed building is considerably larger than the authority now needs and would require substantial investment if it remained the council’s principal operational base.

As reported by Wales247, the council’s Cabinet will be asked to agree the strategic principle of relocating its main office functions and to authorise more detailed work on alternative accommodation. The report is due to be considered at Cabinet on Wednesday, 14 October.

The proposal does not amount to an immediate relocation. According to the council, Cabinet is not being asked to approve a particular building, a specific location, a final relocation budget, or the sale or disposal of the Civic Centre. There would also be no immediate change to where council staff work, and the proposal would not change any individual’s role or employment status.

Why is Newport Council considering relocation?

The council says the proposal follows an initial independent review of the Civic Centre. That review found that the building is considerably larger than the council requires and would need substantial investment if it were to continue as the authority’s main operational base.

According to figures cited by Wales247, the initial estimate for bringing the occupied areas of the Civic Centre up to a suitable standard is approximately £102 million. By comparison, alternative accommodation options assessed to date range from approximately £26 million to £81 million.

The council has emphasised that these figures are comparative estimates rather than approved budgets. It has not put forward a preferred relocation site, nor has it committed to a final cost for any move.

The scale of the building is central to the assessment. The Civic Centre has a floor area of approximately 24,000 square metres, while its average daily occupancy is approximately 270 users. The council says the independent evidence shows that the Civic Centre is much larger than it now needs.

What will Cabinet be asked to decide?

Cabinet is being asked to agree the strategic principle of relocating the council’s main office functions from the Civic Centre and to authorise further detailed work on alternative accommodation.

As reported by Wales247, this is explicitly framed as a next step rather than a final decision. The council says Cabinet is not being asked to approve where the council would move, what would happen to the Civic Centre, or a final relocation budget.

No decision is being made at this stage on whether democratic and civic functions should remain at the Civic Centre. Nor is a decision being taken on the building’s long-term future. The council says those matters would require further assessment, engagement and a future decision by Cabinet.

What has the council leader said?

Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, Leader of Newport City Council, said the Civic Centre is an important civic and heritage asset and that the council recognises the strength of public feeling about its future.

As reported by Wales247, Councillor Batrouni said: “The Civic Centre is an important civic and heritage asset, and we recognise the strength of public feeling about its future.

“However, we also have a responsibility to ensure that our buildings support effective services and represent a sustainable use of public resources. The independent evidence shows that the Civic Centre is much larger than we now need and would require significant investment.”

He added that Cabinet is being asked whether the evidence justifies taking relocation options to the next level of detail. He stressed that the proposal is not a decision about where the council would move, nor a final decision about what will happen to the Civic Centre.

Councillor Batrouni said any future options would need to be assessed carefully against the needs of residents and services, accessibility, staff wellbeing, capacity, cost, sustainability, technology, security and travel.

He also said that protecting the Civic Centre’s civic significance and establishing a viable and sustainable future for the building would remain central to the next phase of work.

What happens to the Civic Centre’s heritage?

The Civic Centre is Grade II* listed and contains heritage features including the Hans Feibusch murals. It continues to accommodate democratic and ceremonial functions.

The council says relocating its main office functions would not mean abandoning the building. It says the Civic Centre’s listed status and heritage features would be protected and considered throughout the work.

The authority has not said whether civic and democratic functions would remain in the building. That question, along with the building’s long-term future, would require further assessment, engagement and a future Cabinet decision.

Who will be consulted?

The council says elected members, recognised trade unions, heritage and accessibility stakeholders, partners, residents and other interested parties would have opportunities to contribute as options are developed.

Any final recommendation would then return to Cabinet for approval. The council has not announced a timetable for consultation, a shortlist of potential alternative sites, or a date for a final decision.

What does the proposal not decide?

The council has been clear about the limits of the proposal. Cabinet is not being asked to approve a particular building, location or final relocation budget.

It is also not being asked to approve the sale or disposal of the Civic Centre. There would be no immediate change to where staff work, and no individual’s role or employment status would change under the proposal.

The council says no decision is being made at this stage on whether democratic and civic functions should remain at the Civic Centre or on the building’s long-term future.

Background of the development

The Civic Centre has long been the principal administrative base of Newport City Council and remains listed in council contact information as its Civic Centre address. The building’s Grade II* status reflects its architectural and historic importance, while features such as the Hans Feibusch murals form part of its heritage significance.

Earlier council documents show that the authority has previously examined how the Civic Centre is used. A 2021 Cabinet report considered options for the building after the pandemic, including reoccupying it in the same way as before Covid-19, maximising its occupation as the main administrative headquarters, zoning the building by service area, and developing technological solutions to support its use. That report stated that more detailed work would be needed to identify the costs of the proposed model and that trade unions would be consulted on any changes to HR policies.

The council’s 2024/25 budget also included plans to close the Civic Centre for two days per week from an unspecified date, mainly to save on utilities such as energy. As reported in the council’s own minutes, that delay to the closure plan would have required additional investment of £91,000. The latest proposal now goes further by asking Cabinet to consider the strategic principle of relocating the council’s main office functions altogether.

Prediction: How could this affect Newport residents?

For Newport residents, the immediate effect is likely to be limited because no relocation site, budget or final decision has been approved. Council services would continue to operate, and the council says there would be no immediate change to where staff work.

If Cabinet agrees to progress the work, residents can expect further public discussion about the future of one of Newport’s most prominent civic buildings. Heritage groups, accessibility campaigners, trade unions and local residents are likely to focus on whether civic and ceremonial functions remain in the Civic Centre, how the building would be maintained, and whether any future use would preserve public access to its historic features.

For council staff, the development could eventually affect workplace arrangements, although the council says the current proposal does not change anyone’s role or employment status. Any detailed relocation plan would need to address accessibility, staff wellbeing, travel, security, technology and capacity.

For taxpayers, the financial comparison will be closely watched. The council’s estimated £102 million cost to bring occupied areas of the Civic Centre to a suitable standard is substantially higher than the £26 million to £81 million range identified for alternative accommodation options, but those figures are not approved budgets. The eventual decision could therefore shape both the council’s future property costs and the long-term future of the historic Civic Centre.