COUNCIL chiefs have refused an offer from the Duchy of Cornwall to make potential savings of £3million by building their new HQ in Poundbury.

West Dorset District Councl has been offered space for its new headquarters in the Queen Mother Square development and been told that the Duchy could still help kick-start the Charles Street scheme.

But council leader Robert Gould says the offer is not a ‘realistic’ or ‘credible’ proposition.

A letter from Poundbury estate director Simon Conibear to council leader Robert Gould describes the offer as a ‘Plan B’.

Campaigners are now calling for Coun Gould and WDDC chief executive David Clarke to seriously consider the offer.

Alistair Chisholm, of campaign group Stop Council Offices Now (SCON), said: “This is going to be saving public money.

“Why should pride get in the way?

“We are taking about a cost of £10.7million of taxpayers’ money that could go down to £7.7million, saving £3 million at a time when never before have public funds been so stretched.

“One could also argue that sort of money could keep libraries open and keep school crossing patrols.

“If they were to accept this offer I would not be jumping up and down saying ‘we won’, we would think it was a sensible decision to save public money.”

Mr Conibear’s letter says that Poundbury offers an ‘economic compromise’.

He writes that market conditions have led to the decision to devote the upper floors of King’s Point House to office rather than residential use.

The Poundbury option could offer 100 staff parking spaces, an electric bus service every 20 minutes and would be close to the proposed Monkey's Jump Park and Ride scheme.

The letter says: “I know that the whole issue of office relocation has become somewhat heated and controversial in Dorchester.

“It may well be that despite the entrenched positions taken on the subject, Poundbury offers an economic compromise.”

A rental price of £475,000pa for the space has been indicated by the Duchy with the option of buying 35,222sqft of offices, including 4,210sqft on the ground floor for £6.8million.

The letter continues: “Without being party to the precise costing of the Charles Street scheme, it does appear that there would be savings of around £3million in relocating to Poundbury, plus the value of the site which would be vacated in Charles Street for alternative development.”

Dorset County Council also has plans to house a new Dorchester Library within the £60 million Charles Street scheme.

District councillor Trevor Jones said the Duchy’s offer needed to be taken seriously.

“The Duchy offer, which is now in the public domain, deserves to be taken seriously by both councils.

“At a time when jobs and services are being slashed, there’s widespread public concern that the councils are going to squander money unnecessarily on Charles Street,” he said.

Lib Dem group leader Stella Jones said: “It’s never too late for the council to change their minds.

“This is a very interesting offer.”