THE new headquarters for health and social care services in Inverclyde has been officially opened.
Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has relocated from Hector McNeil House in Greenock’s Clyde Square to the nearby James Watt Building on William Street.
The new HQ is home to various teams including Children and Families, Community Justice, New to Scotland, Housing Options and the Homelessness Advice and Money Advice services along with business support colleagues.
Improvement works were carried out at the James Watt Building to ensure it meets the needs of service users and staff. A bright new reception and waiting area has been provided on the ground floor, accessed off William Street, leading to several family and meeting rooms. Upstairs, there are open-plan and single offices for staff, as well as kitchen, dining, and break-out spaces.
The move allows for demolition of Hector McNeil House later this year as part of the multi-million pound UK Government-funded Greenock Town Centre regeneration project, formerly known as Levelling Up.
The new HQ opened to staff and service users in March but an official opening ceremony has now been held to celebrate the move.
David Gould, chair of Inverclyde Integrated Joint Board, the organisation which manages Inverclyde HSCP, said: “Moving is never easy so I’m delighted that our service users have adapted so quickly and are now used to going to the James Watt Building and benefiting from the modern and welcoming facilities there.
“The James Watt Building has been fully upgraded and is the perfect location as it’s just around the corner from Hector McNeil House so it’s still in a convenient location for service users and staff.”
Council leader Stephen said: “Moving HSCP staff out of Hector McNeil House is central to the planned transformation of Greenock Town Centre. Hector McNeil House has served Greenock and Inverclyde well over the years as, among other things, a library and latterly the headquarters for the HSCP.
“The James Watt Building had been lying empty and it’s only a short walk away from Hector McNeil House so it was the perfect fit for the new HSCP HQ and also means we are able to give this historic building a new purpose.
“It’s a modern and welcoming place for people to access health and social care services and I’m pleased staff and service users have taken to the move so well.”
The council-owned building was historically a college but was more recently used by a number of services, including education and public protection. Remaining staff at Hector McNeil House will move into Greenock Municipal Buildings during the summer.
The Greenock Town Centre regeneration project will see the creation of new civic spaces, a restructured, more outward looking town centre retail offer, improve links between various parts of the town centre and the waterfront and build in capacity for a new education/college facility and town centre housing.
To do this, the A8 flyover that runs over the Oak Mall from the Bullring Roundabout to High Street will be removed and replaced by a low-level trunk road to bring the town together, rather than split it in two, and create easier access to the town centre for visitors and residents.
The Bullring itself, as well as Hector McNeil House and 40 per cent of the existing indoor retail space in the Oak Mall, will also be demolished, and a new shopping centre entrance created.
