East Devon District Council’s new Honiton HQ is set to be open for business on Monday, January 28, 2019.

Work to construct Blackdown House, the new HQ being built for the council, is well under way.

Almost all of the scaffolding on the building, in Heathpark Industrial Estate, has been taken down and the approach road has been laid.

The £10m relocation programme has been designed to boost the flexibility and working methods of the council in offering a 21st century service to residents, while demonstrating a strong investment in East Devon’s two largest towns, the council said.

Documents revealed in the upcoming Cabinet agenda state that a completion date of November 23, 2018, has been accepted, with Blackdown House officially ‘open for business’ on Monday, January 28, 2019.

It had previously been stated by the council that the target for completion and occupation was December 2018.

The documents in the cabinet agenda add: “Internally the fit out works have continued on all floors. The ground and first floor walls are almost completed with walls skimmed and mist coated painting.

“On the second floor the walls are almost completely boarded and the skim coat plaster has commenced.”

East Devon District Council Twitter added on Twitter: “Almost all the scaffolding is down and the approach road is laid.

“Blackdown House, our new HQ in Honiton is coming on well and on target to open in January 2019.”

The council is relocating from its current base at The Knowle in Sidmouth to new offices in Honiton and Exmouth.

The £1.5million upgrade of Exmouth Town Hall was completed last November, and housing and benefits teams now occupy desks.

Planning officers can also be seen by appointment and environmental health staff will touch down in Exmouth according to operational need.

Knowle, East Devon District Council’s former HQ in Sidmouth, will be turned into a 113-apartment assisted-living community for older people.

The contract of sale between PegasusLife and the council is now unconditional and both parties are, respectively, committed to buying and selling the Knowle site for £7.5million.