Key archives need rehousing two years after store declared unfit

SENIOR council officials are still searching for a suitable home for thousands of important historic archives two years after the current storage facility was declared “unfit for purpose”.

Officers at Wakefield Council have been looking at various options for the future storage of archives after a Government body declared the Register of Deeds building on Margaret Street and Newstead Road no longer suitable for the storage of important documents.

Concerns about the state of the building were raised as far back as February 2007 because of its poor public access and unsuitability as a workplace as well as an archive store.

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The council said last year it would cost about £3m to bring it up to standard.

A report to be discussed by councillors in Wakefield on Tuesday next week has revealed that alternative accommodation had been investigated and rejected because of the high costs.

Units next to the West Yorkshire Joint Services site at Gildersome had been considered, but it was estimated that it would cost £1.9m to upgrade the building to an appropriate standard for archive storage.

Other options under consideration by Wakefield Council included:

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Re-locating to the museum store, currently leased to the council for five years.

Obtaining a separate building on the same site as the museum store.

Identifying other suitable property in the M1/M62 corridor.

Identifying surplus property via the council’s asset management group, should anything suitable become available.

The preferred option in December was to keep archives at the museum store and allow the public to view records at the new Westgate council building.

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But there were question marks over the cost and concerns about the space available.

The report to councillors said: “There was insufficient information to confirm whether this (Westgate) option best met the criteria in terms of providing adequate space and public access at an acceptable cost and a feasibility study was required,”

Councillors asked for the feasibility study to be carried out as a matter of urgency and the findings are expected to be revealed at the meeting next week.

The committee will also hear the results of a visit by nine councillors to the Registry of Deeds building in December.

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A report on the visit noted that it was plagued with problems, from water leaks to damp patches and old shelving.

“In the semi-basement area there was a severe leak and a large amount of matting was being used to soak up water. Maps were stored in this area and consideration was being given to buying drain piping to protect them.”

It added: “The shelving currently in use is around 30 years old and is now failing,

“In one particular area the floor has warped under the weight of material stored there and has to be regularly monitored.

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“Additional measures have had to be implemented to protect staff working in these areas, for example wearing of hard hats and safety boots. It is estimated that new shelving would cost around £60,000.”

There are also issues around staff having to carry heavy documents up and down stairs.

A document lift exists but it is not practical as it comes out in the gents’ toilets.

When documents are required staff have to carry them up and down stairs, which can be physically demanding.

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Next week’s meeting will be attended by Lisa Dodd, service director for culture and sport, along with Stuart Wrathmell and Katy Goodrum, from the West Yorkshire Archives Service.

The Registry is home to around 60 per cent of the county’s archives and houses thousands of deeds for properties in the old West Riding between 1704 and 1970.