Westminster City Council’s 19-storey headquarters will close at the end of the month for a £60 million refurbishment lasting nearly two years, officials have said.
City Hall in Victoria Street will shut until early 2019 during which time the borough will be run from a building in The Strand.
The council said the revamp for the sixties tower will cut costs, make it more energy efficient and “boost productivity” among staff as it is increasingly expensive to maintain.
External stonework will be repaired and cleaned, new lifts installed and all the windows replaced, including with floor-ceiling windows on the top floor.
The council hopes to let some office space when the building reopens. Its cabinet approved the work in May last year and is now securing the contractors.
Construction firm ISG is said to be a frontrunner for the project.
Deputy council leader Robert Davis said City Hall was “underperforming, both for visitors and staff as well as environmentally".
He added: "That’s why proposals have been brought forward to refurbish the building in the most efficient and effective manner that will deliver savings, future income and a ‘greener’ civic space.”
For the next two years, licensing meetings will take place at Portland House and registrar services at 317 Harrow Road. Citizenship ceremonies will move to Mayfair Library and 5 The Strand.
