The council’s old depot in Godmanchester closed its gates for the final time last week. The council’s fleet of 65 vehicles left the site in the early hours of the morning to go out about their usual business but at the end of the day the vehicles drove to their new home, Eastfield House in Latham road, Huntingdon.

There to close the Godmanchester Depot gates for the last time was the council’s deputy leader Mike Simpson, whose executive responsibilities include the new office accommodation project.

Construction of Huntingdonshire District Councils new Operations Centre, named Eastfield House started in November 2006.  In addition to providing a new base for the council’s day to day operational activity, the new complex provides accommodation for a range of other services including the Document Centre which includes all post and printing requirements, building control, CCTV, and corporate training facilities.

The new operations centre will allow important services to be delivered in a more efficiently and co-ordinated way. It will also end the need for refuse lorries and other heavy vehicles to make daily journeys through the Godmanchester conservation area.

Councillor Mike Simpson said, “Eastfield House will play a very significant role in enabling us to continue to deliver service efficiencies throughout the district. It is a modern complex that will help us to continue delivering effective services and free Godmanchester from the daily coming and goings of our heavy vehicles.”

This development is part of a wider project to improve the services provided to the people of Huntingdonshire, which includes the replacement of the council’s head offices at Pathfinder House. Construction of the new headquarters building will commence later this year and is due to be completed in early 2010.