SEPA announces a move to Eurocentral
28 July 2011
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) today
announced that it has secured an excellent new facility in the
Maxim Office Park at Eurocentral, North Lanarkshire, and that some
of its services will be operating from the new building by early
2013.
The new facility, which will accommodate around 350 of SEPA's
scientific, advisory, regulatory and support staff, will allow SEPA
to bring together staff working in related disciplines into a
single, modern, environmentally sustainable building, providing a
more integrated and co-ordinated approach to environmental
protection and improvement.
It will also enable SEPA to provide a first class laboratory,
complementing the sister laboratory we opened last year in
Aberdeen. Between them, the two laboratories will significantly
improve the analytical science which underpins our environmental
protection work.
The move is part of SEPA's ongoing plan to transform the way it
operates so it can deliver both excellent environmental services
and savings to the public purse. SEPA will be closing its current
offices in East Kilbride during the next 18 months, with all staff
based there moving to the new facility. They will be joined by some
staff from SEPA's other offices in Edinburgh, Stirling and
Perth.
SEPA Chief Executive Dr Campbell Gemmell said:
"I am extremely pleased to be able to announce that SEPA has
secured an excellent new facility, which will not only mean more
efficient and effective environmental protection for Scotland, but
which also provides better value for money for the taxpayer.
"As a BREEAM Excellent building, the facility will reduce the
environmental footprint of SEPA's estate which is one of the key
objectives of our estate strategy. It will provide the operational
base for our regulatory teams for west central Scotland, an
excellent working environment for several related national
functions and a brand new, first class laboratory facility. It will
also allow savings to be made which will reduce the need to save on
staff costs."
Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"SEPA's new central facility at Maxim is further evidence that
the Scottish Government is committed to providing an efficient
service to the taxpayer at a lower cost. The move will also help
develop closer working between partners within Scotland's public
sector. The new facility will house another first class laboratory
and achieve excellent standards of energy efficiency and
environmental performance."
David Gebbie, partner at Arisaig Property Partners LLP, which
manages Maxim Office Park, commented:
"We are obviously excited to welcome SEPA to Maxim Office Park,
especially as it was the recent financial restructuring of Maxim
that has allowed both parties to achieve a leasing deal that
previously couldn't have been achieved. The news is a great
boost for Maxim and the Lanarkshire area."
Jim McCabe, Leader of North Lanarkshire Council, was delighted
with the news. He said:
"Maxim is an outstanding location and the news is a welcome jobs
boost for the area. North Lanarkshire is an excellent place to do
business and I very much welcome this announcement."
Ends
Notes to editor